


2088

by red_camellia



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Angst and Romance, BaekYeol - Freeform, ChanBaek - Freeform, Drama, KaiSoo - Freeform, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Slow Burn, XiuChen - Freeform, here are all the couples, if you just started reading it well then, it turned out gayer than planned, some other relationships will build up later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-02-23 06:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 122,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13184688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_camellia/pseuds/red_camellia
Summary: After the nuclear wars, most of the world has become uninhabitable except for a few safe zones, where cities and towns were build. Myths of people with mutated genes are circulating. Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo's mission is it to find one of them. When Kyungsoo finds Jongin, a young man with mutated genes, his world is turned upside down and he realises that he has only been a pawn used in a bigger plan.





	1. One

< Confidential File A.L >

To Commander ******

Regarding the A.L. we have noted down another escaped object (No 26) from camp 2.  
Town M12, is of now responsible for the recapture of the escaped object.  
Enclosed, you may find a description of the object.

Number: 26  
Gender: male  
Height: 1.75 m  
Age: 20  
Eye colour: yellow  
Hair colour: brown

  
No salience in appearance

Classified: Dangerous (no record)

 

Signed,  
Commander G*

  
  


_The year 2088. August_

The blazing heat was pressing down on the town and no one except for a group of young people were outside. During heatwaves it was in fact forbidden for the citizens to go outside during daytime. Not that anyone wanted to. Everyone was spending their daytime underground in their cool basements.

The group of young people were not rebellious youths as one might have thought at first gaze, they were standing quite still, sweat dripping down their faces, eyes narrowed against the desert wind. The 10 youths standing there were the subdivision C from the military of Town M12.

They were about to head out for their daily patrolling duty. The military was exempt from the rule to stay inside, they were also exempt from the most important rule in the small town: No one leaves the town.

A high wall had been built to protect the city from wild animals, desert storms – and other things. After the nuclear wars most of the world had been destroyed, only few areas were safe to live in. Many millions had died from radiation or had fallen in war. Even long after the war had ended, many more died from illnesses, infections known to humanity and new illnesses that had been created from radiation and biochemical weapons used to wipe out half of the world’s population.

There were few people who were still healthy and this had led to their isolation. They had built cities and towns with strict rules on who was allowed to live there and had surrounded themselves by high walls to protect themselves from contagious sickness and radiation. They were obsessed of keeping their kind ‘pure’. Although many years had passed and hardly anyone living behind those walls had ever seen the outside world or knew anything about the people living outside the walls. There were myths about the sick people living in small villages or roaming the wastelands on their own. They were no longer human, they had mutated genes and were savages.

These myths originated from a real mutation in some people that had managed to survive the wars and wildness and had given birth to strange children. Children with yellow eyes and vertical pupils, these eyes were the apparent proof of their mutated genes. The healthy people thought of them as the impure and sick ones but these children carried a genetic advantage that those healthy people lacked. They were immune to most known illnesses, they had adapted to very rough living standards and were able to survive in the wildness. This was what was taught to the ‘purists’ living in the cities and towns.

The real cause behind those mutated children was however a well-kept secret among the doctors and scientists behind the walls. The secret was kept even from those whose duty it was to find those mutated people, it was a small branch within the military. Subdivision C.

Out of fear many of the mutated children that had been sighted in villages or small towns were killed, but those that managed to flee knew that they had no place on this earth. Feared and pushed away from everyone, they could not trust anyone. They were loners and roamed the outside world on their own.

“Lieutenant Kyungsoo!”

The young people standing on the market place of the town moved as a young man hurried towards them. “Time to go”, Lieutenant Kyungsoo called. He pulled his mask over his face and checked his gun on his hips. His soldiers followed him and marched to the large heavy gate in the wall. Kyungsoo pressed his palm against a panel next to the gate. It scanned his palm and an electronical voice said: “Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Subdivision C. Status: Clear. Permission to open gate: clear”.

With a grumbling sound the gate opened and the group left the calm of the town behind them.

*

Oases were rare in the desert and springs with water that could be consumed were even rarer. Jongin leaned over the edge and splashed his hot face with water. He hummed satisfied and watched the ripples on the water surface calm again. He continued humming, the song had sprung to his mind. He filled his water bottle to the brim with fresh water and bound it back onto his hips with a string of cloth. Then he looked around calmly. He knew that he could not linger too long at a beautiful place like this, it wouldn’t just attract other humans but quite possibly – animals. Jongin was hungry, he hadn’t eaten in days. There were no animals besides the small fish inside the lake. And so Jongin prepared for hunting, he was good at it, he had always been. He enjoyed the thrill, the blood rushing in his veins, the excitement but most of all he liked how his body got calm and still before he attacked. He was entirely focused on his prey and his sharp senses were so preoccupied that he did not notice the man in a short distance. Jongin was never careless but the hunger was so overwhelming that he could not focus on anything else. His hands shot forward and broke through the water surface and in his hands he held the slippery fish. He quickly dropped it into a small piece of cloth and wrapped it tightly. With a simple hand movement he killed the fish and used a sharp rock from the ground to cut it open. He had just started eating when he noticed that someone was watching him. They just looked at each other, neither of them moving.

*

Kyungsoo signalled his subordinates to stop. “We’re splitting up. You three follow that path that leads to the mountains, you three continue straight ahead and you four in that direction”, Kyungsoo ordered. “Lieutenant, someone should come with you!” one of his soldiers complained. Kyungsoo shot him a cold glare. “I think my orders were clear”. The soldier bowed his head and they all split up. Kyungsoo preferred to be alone when he was outside the walls. His interest and love for the world outside the walls was dangerous and needed to be kept a secret. He had only ever applied for the military service to get outside the wall. This had led to a dispute with his parents with whom he had had a bad relationship before. Kyungsoo had moved out and lived on his own. He had focused his life on is job and on his interest.

He took the route he had taken on his patrols last week. He knew that there was an oasis up there and it was a beautiful spot of nature. He expected that sooner or later someone would turn up there to rest. But today was the first time that he was lucky enough to see someone else. It was a boy or young man, he was crouching at the lake and drank hastily. Then he splashed his face with water to clean it. He didn’t seem to notice Kyungsoo. He seemed to be very fascinated by the small lake. He didn’t even move at all, it seemed like he wasn’t even breathing anymore. Kyungsoo frowned and jumped when the boy moved forward so suddenly. He pulled a struggling fish out of the water and killed it easily. Then he cut it open and sunk his teeth into the fish. He reminded Kyungsoo of a wild animal hunting and eating. Kyungsoo had seen many outsiders, he was in the military service since he had been 16. Now almost 8 years later, he felt he had seen a lot but not enough. And not once had he encountered a child with yellow eyes. He knew that half of his soldiers did not even believe that such children existed anymore. But he had not yet given up on finding one. The young man had finally seemed to notice him, he stopped mid eating and looked up. He looked like any wild outsider, like they described the outsiders in the stories: savage, unkempt, wild. The fish still in his mouth between his teeth and his matted and tousled brown hair made him look like a wild animal. Kyungsoo’s heart was drumming hard in his chest. The boy had an alert stance, everything about him gave the air of a wildcat. Movement, attitude and appearance. Most of all, the yellow eyes with vertical pupils. Kyungsoo’s mouth was dry and his body seemed to be frozen. Neither of them moved and they just stared at each other. Then Kyungsoo licked his dried lips, he didn’t know what to say or how to approach the boy. “Hello”, he said carefully. The boy tensed up.

“Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt you. It is dangerous outside here”, Kyungsoo continued. The boy let out a low growl that made Kyungsoo’s hackles raise. He took one step closer to the boy and raised his hands but the boy jumped to his feet. But Kyungsoo was faster, he had already shot the boy before he could start running. The boy winced and fell into the sand. The fish fell from his mouth and he wailed quietly. Kyungsoo had never used the tranquiliser before but it had been specifically developed to catch a human like this boy. The tranquiliser was extremely strong and had been developed to paralyse the target. Kyungsoo hurried towards the boy and lifted him up. He was surprisingly heavy and although the tranquiliser had done its job, he was still struggling. “Keep quiet, I’ll take you with me. I won’t kill you”, Kyungsoo said calmly and carried the boy away from the oasis. He contacted his team and they arrived just in time. The tranquiliser effect seemed to wear off quickly and the boy had just kicked Kyungsoo in the chest and was about to run away when he was surrounded by 10 soldiers pointing their weapons at him. It took 5 more tranquilisers to finally knock him out completely.

*

They returned to the town in the evening and were welcomed by a group of excited scientists. They carried the boy into a small house near the gate. Kyungsoo dismissed his soldiers after they had to swear to not tell anyone about their finding. Kyungsoo had never been inside the laboratory and he was glad to, he found it creepy and unsettling. The boy was washed and checked for diseases or infections. Kyungsoo had to wait for his captain and so he watched with slight unease how the still unconscious boy was undressed. His skin was tanned and he had a few scars here and there but other than that he looked very healthy. He sure was skinny from lack of nutrition but he did not look as malnourished like the most outsiders. Kyungsoo got to his feet when they put the boy onto an odd looking chair in the middle of the room and fixated his arms and legs onto the chair. Then the chair moved and the back slowly tilted back until the boy was lying flat on his back. Bright light was shining onto his naked body. Kyungsoo frowned. He did not like that. “What are you going to do with him?” Kyungsoo asked. “Lieutenant, let us do our job now. Please, step back. Your job here is done. You can leave”, one of the doctors said. With a loud gasp the boy awoke. Panic was all over his face and he tried to move his hands and feet at the same time, when they did not move he whimpered quietly and tugged harder, looking hectically but the bright light was blinding him. “It seems the tranquilisers were not strong enough for him. Put him back to sleep”, the doctor ordered. A female doctor nodded and grabbed the boy’s arm. She placed a needle on his upper arm and carefully injected the needle. Just a second later the boy started screaming. “Hey, what is that? What are you doing?” Kyungsoo called in shock. “Lieutenant, don’t get in the way”, the doctor said sharply. The door behind Kyungsoo opened and his captain walked in. “Captain!” Kyungsoo greeted him still distraught. “Well done, Lieutenant”, the Captain said. “How is it going?” he asked the doctor. “Good, good. He seems healthy, he will be perfect”, the doctor said. “Wonderful, then please start. We might be writing history tonight”, the captain said beaming. He grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm and led him outside.

“Kyungsoo, I knew you had it in you. Go celebrate with your subordinates!” he said and clapped Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Captain –“, Kyungsoo started. “Ah don’t worry. Of course, you will receive some special reward for your efforts”, the captain said and winked. “A bottle of good alcohol and maybe a nice lady for you”, he said as they left the building. “And a few extra coins go without saying”. Kyungsoo shook his head. “I don’t need a girl. I’m frankly just tired”, Kyungsoo said. His captain laughed. “Oh right, he put up quite the fight, eh? Then go have a good night rest and celebrate tomorrow. You deserve that break”, he said. “Captain”, Kyungsoo started again. “What exactly are we doing with that boy?” he asked. His captain stopped laughing and frowned. “That’s confidential”, he said. “I caught the boy!” Kyungsoo said sharply. “I want to know what I caught the boy for!” The captain narrowed his eyes and the grunted. “That might be true and I hope you’ll catch us another perfect example. These children will be our ticket for immortality and immunity to all diseases, Kyungsoo. We need their DNA to find out why they are immune to almost all diseases. We might be pure, Kyungsoo, but we are not immune to common viruses. Vaccinations and medicine are hard to come by and expensive. It is better we don’t need them anymore. We could lead a better life, we wouldn’t need to worry so much anymore”, the captain said. He sounded excited and seemed to forget for a moment that he had not wanted to tell Kyungsoo about it at all. “You mean, we could open the walls and go outside?” Kyungsoo asked now interested. The captain’s face darkened. “Don’t be ridiculous, Kyungsoo. We don’t want those impure and savage people come into our town. I don’t want to think of what those criminals would do to our people!” he said. And with that he left Kyungsoo alone.

The sun had already set and slowly people were coming outside. Lanterns and lampions were lit all over the town and the quiet town came to life. Kyungsoo avoided the laughing and talking people and hurried back home. He was living alone, his mother had not been happy about him moving out especially not since Kyungsoo was in the military and in constant danger – at least in her eyes. But that way Kyungsoo did no longer have to hide his passion and interest for the outside world. He unlocked his house and stepped in. He turned on the lights which illuminated the few furniture he had. A closet in the right corner, a little kitchen with a wooden table in the left corner and several shelves on which lay all sorts of curious things Kyungsoo had found on his patrols. His walls were covered with pictures he had drawn himself, of the mountains, the desert, the oasis where he had caught the boy today. Kyungsoo took off his military uniform and went into his small bathroom to wash himself. He had to think of the boy and how he had crouched at the small lake, how they had looked at each other. And as Kyungsoo climbed naked into the tub and splashed water over his head the image of the wild boy popped back into his head. He could not tell why it had made him so uneasy when they had stripped the boy and had cuffed him to the chair. And how he had screamed…

Kyungsoo could not sleep that night. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw yellow eyes with vertical pupils staring at him and screams echoed in his head. Exhausted and sweaty, Kyungsoo got up in the early morning hours and quickly washed his face. Then he checked whether the citizens of the town had already returned to their homes and only when the town was entirely quiet, he stepped outside. It was a lot more comfortable to not wear his uniform and safety gear. His feet carried him to the laboratory by themselves and after hesitating for a bit, he tried to push the door open. It was locked but Kyungsoo saw the same panel that was next to the gate. He placed his palm onto the panel and it scanned his palm. “Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Subdivision C. Status: clear. Permission to enter: denied”, the electronical voice said. Kyungsoo cursed. He knew that this would sent a silent alarm to anyone inside the house and indeed only seconds later a small window at the top of the door was opened and a tired face looked at him. “Lieutenant!”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Good morning. Sorry to wake you up, I wanted to have a look at the boy I caught. Actually I want to question him if possible”, he said. The doctor closed the window and unlocked the door to let him in. “Is this an order from the captain?” he asked. Kyungsoo shook his head. “Not directly. My captain wishes me to catch more like him but if I get a better understanding of what these people are like the more likely it is for me to catch another one. Before we had been searching randomly, it was pure luck to find him”, Kyungsoo lied. The doctor frowned and hummed. “I see. Well, I am afraid you cannot question him now. Maybe in a couple of days, I will have to check with my superior first, though. But if you want to you can see him”, the doctor offered. Kyungsoo was surprised. “Oh, good”, he said. “What is your name, doc?” Kyungsoo asked the doctor. He had not seen him yesterday among the doctors. “Oh I am not a doctor. I am an expert for genetics. Kim Junmyeon”, he introduced himself. Kyungsoo shook his hand. “Do Kyungsoo”, he introduced himself. The scientist smiled and led Kyungsoo downstairs instead to the room where they had brought the boy yesterday.

“You weren’t there yesterday when we brought him in, were you?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon shook his head. “No, they called me in later to have a look at the results from their tests”, he said. “Here we are”, he said then and stopped in front of a door. He unlocked it and they stepped into a room that was so small one could only walk four steps forward and a couple of steps to the side. There was a large window however that showed a bigger room. On a large bed the boy was lying. He was now entirely clad and with his hair cut and washed he looked like an ordinary citizen, especially since he was asleep and his creepy eyes could not be seen.

“He looks pretty calm now”, Junmyeon murmured. “When I left yesterday he was screaming”, Kyungsoo entrusted to Junmyeon. The scientist nodded. “He was screaming when I came, too. They did not want to use too much tranquiliser so they had to fixate him”, Junmyeon said quietly. He was watching the sleeping boy with an odd expression in his eyes. It took Kyungsoo a while to understand that it was pity. “Poor boy, who are we to catch him and imprison him like a wild animal”, Junmyeon murmured. Kyungsoo opened his mouth. Junmyeon flinched and his ears turned red. “Forgive me, I just – forget about that! I will definitely focus on my studies and I will help to improve our society. I certainly did not –“, he stuttered hectically. Kyungsoo touched his arm. “It’s fine. I won’t tell anyone”, Kyungsoo said quietly. “As long as you don’t tell anyone that I came visiting him”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon nodded quickly. They left together and when they reached the front door Kyungsoo turned around. “I would like to come and check on him again”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon nodded. “Right, I will check whether you can interview the boy”, he said. Kyungsoo shook his head. “I mean, I want to do that, too. But I just want to come and visit him like today, can you make that possible for me?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon looked surprised but nodded. “Sure”.

*

Jongin’s eyes opened a smidge. The bright light was gone but he didn’t dare to open his eyes fully. They had let him sleep so maybe if they saw that he was awake the horror would start again. He tried to push the memories away but they felt like freshly cut and edged into his brain. Their cold hands, the liquid they had injected under his skin. It had burnt so terribly, it had set his veins on fire and his bones had felt like splints. The pain had completely paralysed him, he had felt like his head was going to explode and he had wished to die. He didn’t understand what they wanted from him.

After the man from the desert had caught him he had not seen him again. He had told him that he would not hurt or kill him but he had shot him down with something that had burnt similar to the liquid they had injected him. He thought that he had heard his voice shouting once. The people dressed entirely in green who had injected that terrible poison into him had entirely undressed him and checked his entire body. They had drawn his blood, checked his eyes and mouth and clipped off his nails and had cut his hair. But they had also washed him and gave him new clothes. Jongin didn’t understand what they wanted from him. He had only ever met people that wanted to kill him or that ran away from him. These people were different, they spoke in a weird fashion and dressed oddly. They reminded him of a past life, dark walls, no windows…

Although they had certainly injured him, Jongin did not feel weakened and saw no big wounds. The spot where they had injected that terrible poison had been treated and a small plaster had been put over it. It didn’t even hurt anymore. But Jongin could not move his arms or legs, they were still fixed onto the bed. He tried to shift slightly and the bed creaked. Jongin’s eyes flew open in panic and looked around. The room was empty and no one was there. Relieved he blinked and looked around to take in all the details of the room. There was no other furniture in the room besides the bed he was lying on, the room was blank and cool. Grey walls. There was a door to his left and a large black mirror right at the wall facing him. He looked very different now that he saw himself. But as he looked at his own reflection he had the prickling feeling of being watched but he could not tell from where someone could possibly watch him.

*

The boy had slept for three days and Kyungsoo had come to see him on each of those days. Junmyeon let him in during the early morning hours when no one was in the laboratory except for him. Junmyeon did not ask any questions and Kyungsoo came to almost trust him.

Kyungsoo would only stand at the window and watch the boy sleep for a couple of hours and then leave. Then on the third day the boy woke up. Kyungsoo almost gasped when the boy opened his eyes and looked around hectically. When the boy saw that he was alone he calmed down. Then he found the window and stared at it with such intension but his eyes were not focused on where Kyungsoo was standing. “He can’t see us”, Junmyeon said quietly. “To him it is only a mirror”. Kyungsoo stepped closer to the window and watched the yellow eyes wander over the mirror and then with a skip of his heartbeat the yellow eyes seemed to find his eyes. But it was impossible the boy could not know that he was there. He could not see him and yet it felt like he was looking right at him. “I think he can see us”, Kyungsoo whispered. Junmyeon flinched. “What? No, that’s impossible”, he said quietly. “Why? His eyes are not like ours, it is not completely off to think that his vision might be different from ours. His eyes might be way better than ours”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon looked scared and stepped back from the window. “You better leave Kyungsoo, I will have to call the doctors and inform them that he has woken up”, he said. Kyungsoo nodded but he didn’t leave, he stepped even closer to the window. The boy’s eyes were still fixed on him and Kyungsoo found he too, could not look away. There was this strange bond between them. He was the one who had caught him and brought him here and just minutes before that they had stared at each other just like that. Then suddenly the door to the boy’s room opened and two doctors and Junmyeon entered. The boy tensed up and looked over at them. “Good morning. My name is Kim Junmyeon. Can you understand me?” Junmyeon started. “Do you speak our language?” one of the doctors repeated. The boy did not react, he now no longer looked at them directly but at their feet. “What is your name?” the other doctor asked. The boy still showed no reaction. The three exchanged gazes and then continued to try questioning the boy in different languages but he still showed no reaction. After half an hour they gave up with a sigh. “Let’s try again tomorrow. You will receive something to eat right away”, Junmyeon said and made the motion of eating something to indicate what he was saying. The three left and just a minute later a young man and Junmyeon returned. The young man was carrying a tablet of food, it was just some plain rice and beans and a plastic cup of water. “Here food”, Junmyeon said and pointed at the tablet. Then suddenly the boy moved, he was tugging at the leather strips that fixed his arms and legs to the bed. “I’m afraid we cannot loosen them. I will help you eat”, the young man said gently. The boy kept struggling against the strings that held him down and started making a distressed sound. Kyungsoo frowned. “Why can’t they loosen them?” he murmured. “I’m sorry”, Junmyeon said quickly. “Maybe open one? His arm, please?” Junmyeon begged and looked over to the door. “One arm so he can eat himself?” he asked. The boy started shaking and his whimpering got louder. “Please!” Junmyeon called. The door was opened fully and one doctor came in. She was looking apprehensively and eyed the boy with slight revulsion. “He might attack us”, she said. Junmyeon shook his head. “Hey, hey, listen”, he said gently. “We’re going to open that, okay? So you can use your own arm, okay?” The boy stopped whimpering, apparently he had understood and held still while the female doctor loosened one of the strings. Then so suddenly that Kyungsoo didn’t even see it happening the boy had torn his arm free and punched the doctor so she collapsed to the floor unconscious. The boy grabbed the food and threw it at Junmyeon and the other young man and then rolled over. Kyungsoo stared at him and then realised that he was trying to bite the leather bonds off. But before he managed to get further three other doctors stormed in and held him down. One was holding a syringe but the boy was struggling so hard that it seemed hard to keep him down and inject the needle. The boy managed to hit another doctor and the doctor with the syringe screamed, she dropped the syringe and hit the boy hard across the face. Kyungsoo turned around and stormed out of the observation room and ran through the corridor over into the room. “Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon shouted. But Kyungsoo pushed everyone out of the way. “Hey, hey! Everyone calm down”, Kyungsoo screamed. He pulled all the people away from the boy. “Don’t hit him!” One doctor picked up the syringe. “He attacked us!” she hissed. “What are you doing here anyways?” Kyungsoo glared at her. “After what you did to him it is quite natural for him to be defensive! But if you keep treating him like that he will never tell us anything and you might end up hurting him seriously. And then everything was in vain!” Kyungsoo said angrily. Then he turned around to the boy who had stopped punching and screaming. The boy looked at Kyungsoo with the same alert gaze but now there was anger in his wild eyes as well. “It’s alright. They won’t hurt you, okay?” he said. “I will have a look at that, okay?” he said and pointed at the bruise blossoming on the boy’s face where the doctor had hit him. The boy growled when Kyungsoo came closer. “It’s alright. See, I have no syringe or anything with me”, Kyungsoo said. The boy bared his teeth when Kyungsoo finally stood right at his bed. His teeth were in a surprisingly good condition for an outsider, but his eyeteeth were oddly sharp almost like the fangs of an animal. Kyungsoo kept eye contact while he reached out his hands. The boy tried to bite his hands but Kyungsoo easily dodged and managed to touch his cheek. He carefully ran his thumb over the boy’s cheek. He finally could see the eyes up close and found that they were not as creepy as he had thought at first. The yellow was more of a dark golden tone, the pupils were very thin from the light and the stress. “Can I have an ointment or something for his cheek?” Kyungsoo asked calmly. The boy just looked back at him, still breathing hard but he did not try to bite him again. Kyungsoo kept eye contact even when he took the ointment and gently spread it on the boy’s cheek. Slowly the boy calmed down and Kyungsoo let go off his face. The boy sunk back into his bed but kept looking at Kyungsoo. His eyes followed Kyungsoo out of the room.

“Well that was a surprise, Lieutenant!” one of the doctors said and crossed his arms. Junmyeon looked at Kyungsoo in awe. “I think, the Lieutenant should support us in questioning the boy. He will probably achieve more than me”, Junmyeon said. The doctors frowned. “The Lieutenant has other duties and frankly –“, the female doctor who was still holding her syringe said. “No, I think it is a good idea. Junmyeon here had managed to calm him down on his first day but it was very different from what we saw now. I think it would be good to have the Lieutenant on the team. We will have to ask the captain that is if you want to be on the team, Lieutenant?” another doctor interrupted her. Kyungsoo blinked rapidly, he was still trying to process what had happened. “I – what? Uh, yes, I think”, he said and cleared his throat.

*

Jongin stared at the black mirror but it was completely silent. They had left him alone and he had received no second chance for food after he had thrown the bowl of rice at those strange people. The young man named Kim Junmyeon seemed to be genuinely nice and kind but Jongin could not trust any of them. At least, so he had thought and then he had walked in. The man who had caught him and brought him here. Jongin had thought that this man would be the first one that he would kill. But the man dragged all of them away from him and treated the spot where he had been hit. His hands were soft and his thumb almost caressed his skin. He did not hurt him, there was no poison this time. It was not necessary, the man’s eyes completely paralysed him. And Jongin was now sure that it had been his eyes that had been watching him earlier.

This time Jongin could not sleep, he felt uneasy and tense. He did not know for how long he was at this place already. He could not tell whether it was morning or evening and it drove him mad. But he did not want to talk to those people. Maybe he could talk to the man who had captured him. The one with the beautiful eyes.

And indeed the man returned after a while. Jongin could not tell whether an entire day had passed or more. It had felt like forever. But the man came with Kim Junmyeon and Jongin could tell that the others were watching. He glared at the door and at the mirror. As long as these people were there he would not say a word. “I told you he won’t speak unless it is just us. He doesn’t trust you”, the man said. His deep voice did not quite fit his small appearance. Junmyeon turned around and discussed with the people behind the door. And finally it seemed like those people gave in and retreated. Jongin eyed Junmyeon sceptically. “It’s okay, he won’t hurt you either”, the man said carefully. Jongin looked up at him and pulled at the string holding him down. The man nodded and stepped up to the bed but Junmyeon stopped him. “What?” he asked. “Right”, the man said then with a sigh. “I’m not allowed to open them unless you answer some questions. You see, even we have to follow some orders”, the man said slightly annoyed. Jongin eyed him critically. He had to answer some questions and then they would free his arms? Also what kind of orders was the man talking about? “I am Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Just call me Kyungsoo, alright?” the man said then. Kyungsoo, Jongin repeated inside his head. “What’s your name?” he asked then. Their eyes found each other once more and Jongin opened his mouth: “Jongin”. Kyungsoo’s eyes sparkled and he beamed but quickly hid it again. “Nice to meet you, Jongin”, Kyungsoo repeated.

“Are you hungry?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded and Junmyeon pulled out a small box. “Were you alone?” Kyungsoo asked further. Jongin nodded again. “What about family or friends? People you met in the desert?” Kyungsoo asked. “No one. Just me”, Jongin said, eying the box hungrily. “Is the oasis where I found you your home?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin frowned. “No, haven’t got one. A home. Can’t stay nowhere”, he said. “But when you were little, you must have had a home, right?” Junmyeon now asked. Jongin didn’t answer, he just looked at the box. “Give it to him”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon uncovered the lid and a delicious smell filled the room. “Take ‘em off”, Jongin demanded and tugged at the strings. Kyungsoo nodded. “Okay but please don’t try to strangle me, right?” Kyungsoo said. Jongin waited patiently until Kyungsoo had freed his right arm and then hastily shovelled the food into his mouth. It was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. “Does it taste good?” Junmyeon asked with a smile. Jongin nodded. “What is it?” he asked with a full mouth. “Fried rice with vegetables”, Junmyeon said. Within seconds Jongin had finished the food. He looked up and eyed both men with furrowed brows. “What do you guys want from me?” he asked roughly. “I think you are aware that you are different from most people”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin frowned. “Huh?” Kyungsoo and Junmyeon exchanged gazes. “Your eyes”, Junmyeon said. “My eyes?” Jongin repeated. “They are different from most people. It is said that this is the apparent evidence for enhanced genes. You have never been sick in your life, have you?” Junmyeon asked. Jongin’s frown deepened. “This is because your body is immune to most diseases. You heal faster than normal humans as well. Your genetics could be a great help to rescue thousands of people. If we examine your genetics we might find a cure to all those simple diseases that you are immune against”, Junmyeon explained. “Rescue thousands of people? Sick people?” Jongin asked. Junmyeon smiled. “You could save humanity”. Jongin looked at Junmyeon and his pupils got smaller. “Humans are evil and kill each other of. There is no need for diseases, they will kill themselves. Why would I want to rescue them?” Jongin asked. Junmyeon looked perplex. Kyungsoo’s face was unreadable. “Good, we’re leaving. I will come and visit you again tomorrow”, Kyungsoo said. “I want to leave”, Jongin said. “I said I have no interest in joining your stupid experiments!” he called. He flinched but before he could react Junmyeon had already fixed his arms back down. “Hey! Hey!” Jongin shouted. “Kyungsoo!” But the Lieutenant had already left and Junmyeon hurried out as well.

“Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon called him as he followed him quickly. The door fell shut behind them and Kyungsoo was walking fast. “Wait!” They passed a group of doctors who had certainly watched their little interview. Junmyeon followed Kyungsoo outside. “Hey, hold up!” Junmyeon said breathing hard and holding his side. Kyungsoo finally stopped in a side alley. It was insanely hot today and the noon soon was burning down blocked by no cloud. “What’s wrong?” Junmyeon asked when he saw Kyungsoo’s face. He looked tense and grim. “They’re gonna kill him”, he said. Junmyeon froze. “What?” he whispered. “Don’t be stupid. Now that they know that he doesn’t want to help they will care even less about treating him right. They will extract every last drop of blood and cut him open to search for the secret behind his eyes and better genetics”, Kyungsoo said coldly. Junmyeon’s face was terror-stricken. “No way”, he whispered. “I am absolutely positive. Tomorrow by this time he will be dead”, Kyungsoo said and turned around. He left Junmyeon in the midday heat and went to his captain’s house to report.  
“Well, well. What can we do? Kyungsoo, should we have extracted every last bit of information out of him or should we lose control over him then I want you to take care of him. I count on you”, the captain said. “Sure”, Kyungsoo said. His captain got up and clapped his shoulder. “Just don’t shoot into his head. His brain might be of high value to the scientists”. Kyungsoo nodded. “Understood”.

But Kyungsoo was quite wrong; they did not want to kill off Jongin that fast. Kyungsoo might have been lieutenant but he was not entrusted with all the details. So he wouldn’t know about the secret interviews between his captain and Jongin. But Junmyeon who spent his days and nights at the laboratory as a scientist, he knew and heard it all.

Sometimes he tried to cover his ears and listening to music so he would not hear it but he gave up soon. Instead he started taking secret notes when none of his colleagues were looking his way. His hands were shaking and he could not get used to it unlike most of his colleagues. They all looked a bit uncomfortable but no one said a word and acted as if nothing was happening. They all continued to investigate Jongin’s blood and DNA as if his terrible screams were not ringing in their eyes. Junmyeon felt sick whenever he wondered what they were doing to Jongin that he would scream so loud they could hear him all the way up into the laboratory on the second floor.

It was two days after Kyungsoo had stormed out of the building, sure that the army would kill Jongin within the next 24 hours when he finally returned to the laboratory. He had not slept well and his nerves were on edge when he had been ordered to be with his captain for the interview. He had a feeling that they had ordered him to be there for only one reason.

It was getting dark outside and Kyungsoo switched on the lights in his small house. He washed his face and avoided looking into the dusty, grim mirror. He was just putting on his clothes when he heard something moving outside. Kyungsoo quickly grabbed his gun and hid behind the door to the bathroom. There was a gentle knock on his front door but Kyungsoo did not go to check on it. No one visited him without announcing it first. It could be a trap. They had learnt about such tricks during their training. The victim would go to the door, simply to check who was there and it was enough that he was standing in front of the door, he didn’t even need to open it for the enemy to shoot through the door and kill him. But then again, this was a safe zone. Who would come and kill him and knock first?

For the split of a second there were a pair of yellow eyes in Kyungsoo’s mind but he shoved that thought away. Never. There was another knock and this time also a voice. A familiar voice.

“Kyungsoo? Please are you there? Kyungsoo”.

Kyungsoo quickly walked over to the door and opened it a smidge. Junmyeon suppressed a scream when he had Kyungsoo’s gun in his face. “Come in, quick”, Kyungsoo muttered and pulled him inside. He quickly looked up and down the dark alleyway and then closed the door, locking it.

“Do you always greet your visitors like that?” Junmyeon asked, shaking. He wiped his sweaty forehead. “I don’t get visitors”, Kyungsoo said. “Well, I wonder why”, Junmyeon muttered. “Why are you here?” Kyungsoo asked. He shoved the gun into an ankle holster and pulled his trousers over it. Junmyeon watched him put on the rest of his clothes. “Do you always carry so many weapons?” he asked. Kyungsoo shrugged. “Sometimes. So why are you here? I have work to do, I can’t be late”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon quickly approached Kyungsoo and grabbed his arm. “You have to help him”, he whispered. His eyes were widened and terrified. “Don’t tell anyone. I secretly took notes of everything I could hear. They interviewed him frequently since the beginning and it got worse”, Junmyeon whispered. Kyungsoo took the brown file that Junmyeon pressed into his hands. He opened it and flipped through the pages. For a moment his face contorted and then it got calm and emotionless again. “They were not torturing him to get information?” he asked. Junmyeon’s face was pale. “No”, he said quietly. “I mean they wanted information, too, but… I couldn’t really understand their goal – I didn’t hear much conversation. He was screaming so loudly”, Junmyeon said and pressed his fingers onto his mouth. Kyungsoo closed the file abruptly. “Have you ever used a gun, Junmyeon?” he asked. “I – what?” Junmyeon asked puzzled. “Do you know how to use a gun?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon took a deep breath. “My parents wanted me to join the military so I did the basis training but dropped out and joined the military science team”, he said. “So yes”, Kyungsoo said.

Kyungsoo squatted down and pulled from under his bed another gun. “You should have one, just in case”, he said. Junmyeon shook his head. “No, I don’t like guns”, he said repulsed. Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed. “You might need it… one day”, he said quietly. They looked at each other and then Junmyeon took it. Kyungsoo helped him hide it under Junmyeon’s shirt and then they left for the laboratory.

*

It was very quiet by now and their steps echoed through the empty streets. Junmyeon opened the front gate to the building and they stepped inside. Junmyeon nodded at Kyungsoo and took the stairs up to the second floor and Kyungsoo made his way downstairs to the basement. “Lieutenant”, he was greeted by one of the doctors. Today there were 4 doctors, 3 soldiers from subdivision A and Kyungsoo’s captain. Subdivision A’s primary duty was security and safety. Kyungsoo supposed that they were there to protect the doctors and make sure that Jongin could not harm someone again. “Ahh Lieutenant! Today will be a special interview with our wild guest”, the captain said. Kyungsoo’s face did not show any sign of having more information than he should have.

“Our guest has been not so friendly with us. It appears he only wishes to talk with you”, the captain said. “With me?” Kyungsoo asked. His heart was racing against his chest and he hoped he could keep his calm face. “Yes, so we will give him one last chance for a little bit of useful information”, the captain said. But Kyungsoo could hear from his undertone that no one was interested in the slightest bit in any information that Jongin might tell him. Kyungsoo nodded however.

When he went to open the door to the room where Jongin was kept, two soldiers and a doctor accompanied him. “I don’t think he will talk with others in the room”, Kyungsoo said calmly. “Right”, the captain said and smiled. Kyungsoo felt cold when he saw that smile. “You go in alone but we’ve got 3 A soldiers here should you need help. But I am convinced that you know how to handle a situation”, the captain said with a meaningful look. “Yes”, Kyungsoo said and opened the door. The door fell shut behind him. The room looked the same as it did 2 days ago. Jongin was lying on his bed, his arms and feet strapped to the bed but this time his chest was heaving, and his yellow eyes were bloodshot. He looked wild and aggressive, his eyes darting around the room. “Jongin”, Kyungsoo said carefully. There was a low growl from Jongin. “It’s me, Kyungsoo. Do you remember me?” he asked. Jongin did not answer, he just kept breathing heavily. “Do you have troubles breathing?” Kyungsoo asked. He stood in front of the bed so he would block every view on Jongin. He leaned forward and kept asking loud questions so he could slip in quiet words. “Do you recognise me?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin glared at him and Kyungsoo looked back. Jongin’s heavy breathing calmed down a bit. “Are you hungry again?” Kyungsoo asked loudly. “I’ll free your legs. Don’t move”, Kyungsoo whispered. But as he tried to loosen them he saw that the strips were so worn down that Jongin only had to pull hard one time to rip himself free. And he did exactly that but within seconds the three soldiers had stormed in. “Lieutenant”, his captain called him. “It seems that there is no chance for him anymore. We have extracted every bit of information on his genes from him anyway. As he does not recognise you anymore we have lost our contact with him”, the captain continued and nodded. The three soldiers had handcuffed Jongin and also cuffed his feet. They roughly shoved a ball of cloth into Jongin’s growling mouth. “You two get out and everyone leave. I don’t want anyone get caught up in this by accident”, Kyungsoo ordered. The soldiers exchanged gazes but the captain nodded. “You’ve heard him. Everyone leave. Well then, Lieutenant”, he said and everyone left. Even the doctors and the captain himself. Only one soldier stayed behind to hold Jongin down. Kyungsoo knew that they all had wanted to leave anyway, they did not want to be connected with a murder. They had ordered him to kill Jongin because he was from a secret subdivision. It would not harm the military’s reputation. Kyungsoo’s heart was beating faster, it almost hurt. He had been thinking all the way from his home to the laboratory but his mind was jammed. It seemed almost impossible. Kyungsoo pulled out his official gun from his hip holster and the soldier made Jongin turn on his knees that Kyungsoo could aim freely at his back. Kyungsoo stepped closer and pointed his gun at Jongin’s neck since he was forbidden to shoot into his head. He took a deep breath and the soldier stepped back when Kyungsoo nodded. Jongin flinched and then there was a deafening bang.

The soft clicking of the keys were barely heard. “Get up, quick. Be quiet”, Kyungsoo whispered. Jongin’s eyes opened and he took a sharp breath. The soldier was lying in front of him, he was dead. He had been shot right into the forehead, the look of surprise was still on his face. Kyungsoo grabbed Jongin’s arm and pulled him out of the room. The room next to it and the corridor were empty. Kyungsoo could not be sure where they had gone to and how much time they had until someone noticed. “What are you doing?” a hoarse voice whispered. Kyungsoo flinched but it was Jongin who had spoken. “No idea”, Kyungsoo muttered. Then he hurried down the empty corridor and dragged Jongin behind him, he seemed to have problems with walking. They stopped at the stairs and Kyungsoo kept his gun drawn as they slowly made their way up the stairs. They made it to the ground floor without meeting someone but Kyungsoo’s nerves were still tense. He took off his jacket and put it around Jongin who took a step back at the sudden approach. “Shh, we need to disguise you”, Kyungsoo murmured. They looked at each other and then Jongin opened his mouth. Kyungsoo whirled around and stood face to face with one of the doctors. “What in the name of -?” the doctor asked. Kyungsoo had no time to think but only reacted. He used the tranquiliser he had used to capture Jongin in the desert, then he dragged the doctor over to an empty broom cupboard and hid him there. “Hurry”, Kyungsoo whispered as he closed the door. “There are people coming”, Jongin whispered but Kyungsoo could not hear anything. They hurried down the corridor to the exit but they had walked a few steps when Kyungsoo could hear the approaching steps, too. They had just reached the front door when someone called his name. “Lieutenant Do”. It were the other two soldiers. “Where are you going?”

Kyungsoo turned towards the soldiers. “I have a different mission than you two”, he said calmly. The soldiers frowned but Kyungsoo was faster than them. He dodged their first attack but they were not that easy to take down. They were trained in close combat but they seemed to underestimate Kyungsoo who had went through a similar training. Kyungsoo was surprised that Jongin remained quietly behind him at the gate, he had expected him to storm off or attack everyone. But Jongin was sitting on the floor, breathing hard. Kyungsoo could not waste his thoughts on what they had possibly done to Jongin, he needed to focus on the two soldiers attacking him. The other soldier he had shot in the basement was not his first kill but Kyungsoo still did not like it. He was not used to it and surely did not want to get used to killing. But he only had three tranquilisers left and he wasn’t sure how many more he had to fight to get out. He could not hesitate and yanked a tranquiliser needle into one of them. But the soldier pulled him down as he dropped to the floor and the other soldier took advantage of the situation and hit Kyungsoo hard. For a moment lights exploded in front of Kyungsoo’s eyes and he lost his orientation, he could not move. “You are a threat to our society. You wanted to release a prisoner and dangerous mutated person. You killed one of your fellow comrades. Thus I take my duty to eliminate you”, the soldier said. Kyungsoo couldn’t even react when the soldier raised his gun. But he had barely raised his arm a few inches when he staggered and dropped to the floor. “Kyungsoo, are you alright?” Junmyeon asked. He was holding a long syringe like object which he had jammed into the soldier’s neck. “Let’s hurry”, he said and pulled him back to his feet. Kyungsoo did not ask where Junmyeon had suddenly come from and where everyone else was. They hurried over to Jongin. “What is that?” Kyungsoo muttered. They both pulled up Jongin onto his feet, too and pushed the gate open. “T-340”, Junmyeon said. “Huh?” Kyungsoo made as they stumbled down the stairs from the front gate. “Tranquilising poison”, Junmyeon said as he ushered them through the alleyways to the big wall. “Junmyeon, don’t”, Kyungsoo said as his head cleared a bit and the wall came closer. “If you walk with me you cannot return”, Kyungsoo said. “I know”, Junmyeon said, dragging Jongin along. “But I have no plan”, Kyungsoo stuttered. “I do”, Junmyeon said. “What?” Kyungsoo asked. “Your ID”, Junmyeon said and made Kyungsoo open the gate. “Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Subdivision C. Status: Clear. Permission to open gate: clear”. With a great rumbling the gate opened and the desert was lying right at their feet. “Your plan?” Kyungsoo asked. “Yes. Run”, Junmyeon said as they ran through the gate. “Wait”, Kyungsoo called out of breath and guided them to the right. A few metres away from the gate there was a store house where the military kept their gear. “There are jeeps in there”, Kyungsoo said and unlocked the door. They had just started the jeep when there was the sound of an alarm. “Unauthorised use of jeep. Identification… scanning”, an electronic voice said but Kyungsoo quickly shot at the glowing hand scanner at the door and then pressed the gas pedal.

They had drove for a long time without sense of direction, just straight ahead. Cold wind and sand in their eyes. Kyungsoo was used to the desert at daytime when it was incredibly hot and when he could actually see where he was going to. The desert at night was completely different.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, as it was Christmas and I will be busy over New Year I thought I'll update very soon.  
> The first chapter was so long because it takes a bit to introduce you into this entire world, I hope the length of my chapters is not too overwhelming... please let me know ^^

They finally decided to stop because it would be too dangerous to go on. Jongin was lying on the backseat and still looked like he was about to pass out. Since they had left in a hurry, they had barely anything with them. Kyungsoo had his backpack with emergency food, water and medicine but it would not be sufficient for three people. Kyungsoo climbed to the back to check on Jongin.

“How are you?” he asked. Jongin was breathing heavy and his forehead was sweaty. “He’s got a fever”, Kyungsoo murmured. Kyungsoo searched for the pills against fever and then helped Jongin to take it. He sat on the backseat, Jongin’s upper body between his legs, leaning against his stomach. Junmyeon had tried to find a comfortable position for sleeping in the driver’s seat. “I’ve never heard of T-340”, Kyungsoo muttered. “I developed it”, Junmyeon said exhausted. “I also developed the one you’re using. But T-340 is 10 times stronger than yours”. Kyungsoo opened his mouth but didn’t ask. If it was even stronger than the one he currently had, it would definitely be fatal for an ordinary human. He leaned his head back against the dusty window and to his surprise he could actually see the stars.

He had left in such a rush, he had not even properly thought about the consequences but he did not regret his decision. He could be honest with himself, he had always just been looking for an excuse to run away. He had hated the wall that caged him in and had longed for the open and wide horizon. He had always wanted to go to places he wanted to see not to those the military send him. For years he had used his mission to enjoy the desert. He had thought he was combining two wonderful things; looking for a cure for several diseases and exploring the nature. But he had been more than wrong. Whatever the military’s true goal had been, it was not to find a cure to diseases. They had continued torturing Jongin although they no longer wanted any information on his genetics.

The sun was already rising when Kyungsoo finally fell asleep. He awoke with a start and blinked rapidly. It was so bright that the light was hurting his eyes. His mouth was dry and his lips felt chapped. Jongin was still between his legs but he was already awake and had turned around so he was now facing Kyungsoo. He had been watching Kyungsoo but he did not avert his eyes now that Kyungsoo was awake. Instead he leaned forward, coming closer and Kyungsoo slid back taken aback. Junmyeon was still sleeping in the front. “You saved me”, Jongin said quietly. His voice was hoarse and his lips were chapped too. His shirt was sweaty and his hair matted. His fingers on Kyungsoo’s face were warm but his skin was rough. “Why did you save me?” Jongin asked. “It was my fault”, Kyungsoo said and cleared his throat when he heard how hoarse he sounded. Jongin’s yellow eyes were transfixed on Kyungsoo’s brown eyes. “I caught you and brought you there. But I had no idea what they would do to you”, he said. “That’s a lame excuse and I shouldn’t –“, he whispered. There was a loud creak and Junmyeon sat up yawning.

“Guys”.

Jongin sat back and looked to the front, Kyungsoo too turned to the front. Junmyeon was looking out the front window. “There is something”, Junmyeon said. And they could see it, too. In the distance there rose mountains and something else that looked like a smaller oddly shaped hill. Junmyeon started the jeep and the drove towards the oddly shaped hill. Jongin leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “Do you know what that is?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin frowned. As they got closer they saw that it was not a hill but a derelict looking building with two towers left and right and a few smaller sheds and houses surrounding it. There was a wall surrounding it, but it was not very high and was crumbling in many places. The Iron Gate stood wide open and with a quick exchange of looks Junmyeon drove through the Iron Gate. Kyungsoo held his gun ready and looked nervously around. All buildings were lacking doors, instead long cloths had been hung from the top of the door frames. They were softly blowing in the desert wind, the colours had faded. Junmyeon stopped the car and Kyungsoo got out, Junmyeon shook his head.

“No, Kyungsoo! Don’t!” But Jongin followed Kyungsoo, walking like a wild cat on its hunt. Junmyeon groaned and cursed. He grabbed the supply of his tranquiliser poison and got out of the car. He had just closed the door when he gasped.

“Wow”.

They were surrounded by about 6 people, dressed in similar brownish clothes. They were all pointing their weapons at them and Kyungsoo knew they wouldn’t stand a chance, so he raised his hands. Junmyeon followed him but Jongin growled and stared at the 6 people. “That’s… a lot of yellow eyes”, Junmyeon muttered.

All 6 people weren’t only dressed similarly, they all had the same yellow eyes as Jongin. Then suddenly someone shouted something and from the big building in front of them a hooded figure appeared. The person was wrapped in a long black cloak but the voice hinted that it was a woman. Kyungsoo did not recognise the language, it sounded harsh and rough. The woman repeated the same words and as she got closer, the six people quickly stepped aside to let her through. She was carrying a long wooden stick which she now pointed at Junmyeon. She said something in the strange language and Junmyeon looked at Kyungsoo.

“S-Sorry, I don’t understand”, Junmyeon stuttered. When the wooden stick was pointed at Kyungsoo, Jongin stepped forward as if to protect Kyungsoo. “Jongin, no. What are you doing?” Kyungsoo hissed. But the woman suddenly hesitated and then lowered the stick.

She said something and the six other people slowly lowered their weapons too. “Who are you?” she asked then. “Oh”, Junmyeon said relieved that they spoke their language.

“I’m Kyungsoo. Those two are my friends; Jongin and Junmyeon. We got lost in the desert”, Kyungsoo said. The woman huffed.

“Don’t lie”, she said sharply. Jongin let out another growl. “Two purists in a jeep with a mutated one. You surely aren’t three friends on an adventure”, she said and raised her wooden stick again. “As I said, we got lost in the desert”, Kyungsoo said firmly. But she must have seen his hands creeping into his pocket for his knife and she attacked him so quickly with her wooden stick he had no time to react. He was hit hard in the chest but before she could attack again, Jongin had jumped in between and blocked off the stick.

“He protects you? How interesting”, she said. Kyungsoo had dropped to his knees from the hard hit, he felt dizzy although he prided himself in being tough. “Why?” she asked Jongin. “Do you owe him?” she asked. But maybe she could read Jongin’s expression because she seemed satisfied. “Very well. That’s enough for me”, she said and pulled the stick back. “Bring them inside and get them food and drinks. Your name was Jongin? We shall treat you as well”, she called and two picked up Kyungsoo by his arms and pulled him onto his legs. Junmyeon was ushered forward towards the building. Jongin was about to pick another fight when the female pulled her hood back. Junmyeon could not see her face but it seemed to terrify Jongin enough to obey. She pulled the hood back on and they were shoved into the building.

It was comfortably cool inside and dimly lit. Inside there was only one big hall, but there were also cloths hanging from the ceiling and roof beams, they created tents and partition walls. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as he looked around. There were about 20 others bustling around, they were all working on something. A few were cleaning, others were preparing food. Some were making clothes. And all had bright yellow eyes, just like Jongin. “What is this place?” Junmyeon asked. “A shelter”, the female said and she guided them to the back of the hall. They entered a large tent created from the colourful cloths and found several stretchers and mattresses on the floor. “Sean will have a look at your wounds. You will get something to eat and drink in a minute”, she said. “A shelter?” Kyungsoo asked. The female nodded.

“I’ll be off. Take care of them, Sean. I think I’ll be back for dinner”, she said and turned around and left the tent. Sean was a young man with yellow eyes and dark skin. He was wearing bluish clothes of finer material. “Okay, then let’s have a look at your wounds”, Sean said. He looked at Jongin’s wounds first when Kyungsoo told him that he had been captured and suffered from fever. Jongin was not happy that Kyungsoo told Sean about it openly but he let Sean lift his shirt and look at his wrists and ankles. Sean carefully dabbed the angry red marks with a strong smelling tincture and then did several checks. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, almost like a doctor, Kyungsoo thought. “I was trained as a healer. My father was the village healer”, Sean said, answering Kyungsoo’s unsaid question. “How come you’re here now?” Kyungsoo asked. A girl and a boy dressed in the brownish clothes brought food and drinks for them and immediately left the tent. Sean didn’t answer directly, he finished his check up on Jongin and handed him a glass of water. “It was destroyed”, he said then. “I suggest, you lie down for a bit and sleep. You should also eat and drink something”, he said to Jongin.   
“It was destroyed?” Kyungsoo asked puzzled. “My village”, Sean said. “They were after me and destroyed the entire village and killed more than half of the villagers. I managed to run away, Kyu found me in the desert, half dead”, Sean said. “Kyu?” Junmyeon asked. “The woman from before”, Sean said.   
“So she is some kind of person who picks up mutated children in trouble?” Kyungsoo asked. Sean frowned. “Don’t tell me, you don’t know”, Sean said. “What?” Junmyeon asked and Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon. “They are hunting us, those purists. Yellow eyed kids live dangerously. Kyu rescued about 10 from a camp, she picked up a few like me who were roaming the desert on their own. Most of us grew up in laboratories and camps, some were lucky like me. My parents gave me away and my adoptive parents hid me well in the desert”, Sean said. “Kyu saved all of us here, she protects us”, he continued almost as if he was defending her. Kyungsoo frowned and looked at Junmyeon. “A camp?” Kyungsoo asked. Sean’s yellow eyes pierced through Kyungsoo’s dark ones. “For a friend of a yellow eyed one, you know hardly anything”, he said. Jongin let out another growl. “Calm down, brother”, Sean said to Jongin.

“You’re better honest to Kyu about your intentions and why you’re in company of a yellow eyed one. If she finds out you mean harm to anyone here she won’t hesitate to kill you”, Sean said. Junmyeon made a suppressed sound and Kyungsoo gave him a side glance.

“I was captured. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon saved me”, Jongin said lowly. Sean’s expression changed. “You did? Sorry, we cannot be careful enough…”, he said. Kyungsoo nodded.

“No, you’re right. I can understand that. I had no idea that other – uh normal people were capturing yellow eyed people to put them in camps, I thought it was just our town”, Kyungsoo said. “In our town Jongin was the first one to be caught ever”. Sean pressed his lips into a thin line. “Kyu knows best, she will fill you in later”, Sean said then. “Get some rest”. He got up and left them alone.

Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon. “I knew that some people killed mutated children because they were scared of them. But it’s my first time hearing about camps”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo sat down next to the mattress Jongin was now lying on. “Jongin?” he asked carefully. Jongin however kept his eyes down, lying on his side. “Do you know anything about those camps?” Kyungsoo asked quietly. Jongin did not reply. “Okay, that’s fine. You don’t have to tell me”, Kyungsoo said and hesitantly raised his hand. “We’re safe now. No one will hurt you anymore from now on”, he said. He touched Jongin’s cheek. Jongin shortly tensed up but then relaxed again and looked at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s chest felt tight as he realised that probably everyone who had touched Jongin so far had done so to hurt him. Once more he found that he was hypnotised by those yellow eyes and he could not avert his eyes. Kyungsoo only found back to reality when a loud rustling sound announced that Junmyeon had lain down on one of the mattresses and pulled the thin blanket over his shoulders. Kyungsoo realised his hand was still resting on Jongin’s cheek and he pulled back his hand.

Kyungsoo laid down on the stretcher next to Jongin’s mattress but he could not fall asleep. Thousand thoughts were whirling through his mind. So other towns were looking for yellow eyed kids, too, but not to kill them but to capture them. What were their reasons? What were their plans? And were they the same reasons as his own hometown’s ones? He did not even know their true intentions so he could not think of the intentions of other towns.

He had been so focused on finding out about the other side of the wall, the nature, the desert, the outside world that he had hardly noticed anything going on inside the walls.

Exhaustion must have gotten the better of Kyungsoo because he had drifted into a light sleep from which he was woken up abruptly as someone entered the tent. It was the female who was called Kyu. “Good evening”, she said. “How do you feel?” Kyungsoo sat up and saw that Junmyeon was already awake. “Better. Thank you very much for the food and the drinks”, he said politely. “Then let’s have a little chat before dinner, shall we?” Kyu said and sat down on the chair Sean had sat in before.

“You already know who I am, now it’s only fair if you tell me who you are”, she demanded. Kyungsoo thought of Sean’s words and decided to be as honest as possible. “I’m Kyungsoo and I have been living my entire life in a small town in the desert. I joined the army to get outside of the walls of the town, but I didn’t get to explore the desert as much as I wished I could have”, Kyungsoo said.

Kyu’s face was hidden under the large black hood but she shifted slightly when she heard the word ‘army’. “I’m Junmyeon, uh, I’m from the same town as Kyungsoo. I am a scientist”, Junmyeon introduced himself. Jongin remained silent. “You’re a scientist?” Kyu asked. “Yes”, Junmyeon confirmed. Kyu pulled out the syringe like weapon Junmyeon had carried with him when they had flown the town. “So this is yours?” she asked. Junmyeon nodded. “The poison inside, what is that?” she asked. “It is a tranquiliser which attacks your muscles directly and immobilises you, it is not deadly. In theory”, Junmyeon added. “In theory?” Kyu asked. “I confess I developed a similar poison for the army and police. It was just a tranquiliser but this is something I have worked on for – emergencies. I’ve only ever used it once and that was last night when we rescued Jongin”, Junmyeon said. Kyu leaned forward a little. “This tranquiliser is ten times stronger than the one the military uses”, Junmyeon said slowly. He looked down to the ground. “If it is ten times stronger than the original one… is this one deadly?” Kyu asked. “Your heart is only a muscle, too. If the poison is strong enough to stop it from beating…”, Junmyeon murmured. “So, yes”, Kyu said and eyed the syringe.

“Interesting. How come a soldier and a scientist, who are both purists and obviously work for those who are responsible for capturing this young man here, suddenly decided to free him and run away? Was the salary not good enough? Were you looking for a little adventure?” she asked. Her voice was calm and it was hard to guess her mood. “No!” Junmyeon called and jumped to his feet. “Junmyeon”, Kyungsoo said and raised his hand. “I had not signed up for this. I became a scientist because I was fascinated by the human body and the way it functions. I wanted to know how it worked. I did not become a scientist to support a system that captures other humans to do experiments on them and tortures them!” he called heated. Kyu looked up. “Wait, they did experiments on him?” she asked. “What kind of experiments?”

Kyungsoo looked at Jongin who had pulled his legs up to his chest and was sitting in the corner of his mattress as if he wanted to hide. “At first it was just a body examination. They took some blood and hair and scanned his brain”, Junmyeon started. Kyungsoo turned to look at Junmyeon who turned his back on them. “And then they asked him all kind of questions, and when he did not answer… they would – hurt him. They did check-ups to see how fast his body would recover from those – things. They got worse and worse everytime”, Junmyeon said. Kyu got up and walked over to Jongin. “You are safe here, Jongin. We all have been hurt and went through similar things. But we all stand together and protect each other so it cannot happen again”. She pulled her hood back and Jongin tensed up. Kyungsoo frowned and stepped around her to see what was scaring Jongin. Kyu’s face was halfway covered by a black mask that hid her nose and mouth. Her right eye was the same yellow as Jongin’s but her left eye was a darker shade, almost as if someone had mixed a bit of brown into the yellow. A long scar ran from her left temple down, right by her eye over her cheek. It was hard to tell her age but Kyungsoo guessed that she would be the same age as him, in her mid-twenties.   
“I promise”, she said and reached out her hand. She touched Jongin’s shoulder lightly and although her mouth was covered one could tell that she was smiling. Jongin relaxed a bit but he was still seated in the corner with his legs pulled up. Kyu did look a bit intimidating with the hard look in her yellow eyes and the long scar but Kyungsoo could not understand what about her had intimidated Jongin so much. He sat down next to Jongin but shoved himself slightly in front of him. Kyu had already pulled her hand back but her eyes quickly flinted between Jongin and Kyungsoo. “I guess you have a few questions”, she said then. “Sean told us something about camps”, Kyungsoo said. “We know from our town that the army was trying to capture people with yellow eyes but I have not heard about other towns doing the same. I have only heard about killings”, Kyungsoo continued. Kyu nodded. “What do you know about people like us? People with yellow eyes?” she asked. “Your eye colour is the proof of mutated genes”, Junmyeon said. “You’re immune to most illnesses and diseases”, he continued. “It is guessed your genes were mutated through radiation and chemicals that polluted most of the globe”, he said. Kyu chuckled. “That’s one of the nice myths they like to tell. You’re a scientist, did you really believe that?” she asked. Junmyeon’s cheeks flushed. “You asked what we knew –“, he started but she shook her head.

“That’s alright, you were educated by those people who spread those lies. It is not your fault. We have to go back in time to the 2030s. A new gene technique made it possible to design your own children, it was a big trend then”, Kyu said. “Design your own children?” Junmyeon asked, looking a bit scandalised. “Yeah, they had been working on that for a long time. Originally it was for a good cause, it was meant to prevent disabilities in an early stage. Basically it promised a cure or prevention for physical diseases. But with that the possibilities for changing anything opened up. You could do simple things like choosing your child’s eye colour but also influence their intelligence or talents. Parents could pick qualities they wished their child to have. Most went with intelligent, beautiful or athletic. But before this method was made open for public, they obviously did a lot of experiments”, Kyu said.

“Wait, they made those methods open for public?” Kyungsoo asked. “Yes, but not many got the chance to actually do it. In 2048 the war broke out, so most people could not afford those method and hardly anyone really thought of it anyways. No one wants to put a child into a world of war, right? So most of those designer children were from those experiments. They tried changing only a few things in the genes, like the eye colour. But there were also bigger experiments. They tried creating superhumans and so they mashed up all the qualities they thought would create the best of humans. Intelligent, beautiful, athletic, resilient to diseases. But there were many side effects”, Kyu continued, her face darkening. “Side effects?” Junmyeon asked.

“Yes, most of the children were infertile. Many developed mental health issues and showed a strong tendency for violence. They were all lacking empathy which increased their violent side. They were not fit for society, especially not one in a war-state. They grew up knowing nothing but violence but after the war, a few scientists got together to continue their studies. They looked for the remaining designer children and matched those designer children still alive and fertile which were not many”, Kyu said. Kyungsoo frowned. “They matched -?” he started. “They bred them like animals”, she growled.

 “And then?” Kyungsoo asked when she did not continue. “Well”, she said cynically, her eyes hardening. “The results are right in front of you. Young people with yellow eyes, resilient to most diseases and very violent allegedly. To keep a closer eye on us, they build a village at first, where the children grew up and as soon as they were old enough, they were brought to the said camps. But when some of those children ran away, they of course had to be brought back. They were dangerous after all”, Kyu said coolly. Junmyeon looked at her intensely. “What were those camps for then? They did not kill them, did they?” he asked.

“No. No, these camps were training camps. They trained us in whatever talents they showed and of course, we had to be trained in being a proper human being. But it didn’t work because we have a tendency to lack obedience”, she said and tilted her head slightly. “But some actually managed to get through training and were appointed the task of capturing their own brothers and sisters or protecting the trainers and bosses of those camps”, she said. “So they’re trying to capture them to build – what an army? I don’t know, why? Are they expecting another war? I can hardly believe that. There is not much communication between the few cities and towns or villages that are left on this planet. We have enough to live our life, but it is not nearly enough to start another war”, Kyungsoo said shaking his head.

“There is a large city, you would have to cross the desert and the mountains to get there. It lies at the sea and is one of those few that have more than enough. But people who have enough always crave more, especially power hungry men. Why be satisfied with what you have when you can take more?” Kyu said sharply. “They are searching for us, not only to train us. Not all of us are of violent nature, that’s rubbish. They want our genes”, she said and straightened her shoulders.  
“For what? They want to create more of you? Or create new designer children?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu looked at him. “No, they believe the key for immortality lies in our genes”. It was hard to read Kyu’s expression but Kyungsoo thought that she believed in immortality as much as he did: not at all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, finally a bit more information on those yellow-eyed ones. I might add that this is a sci-fi-dystopian story so a lot of technical stuff or medical stuff is made up. But ideas for "designer babies" do really exist in our world and they kind of inspired this story!
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the story so far.  
> Thank you for leaving kudos!!!!!  
> ♥


	3. Three

It was a lot of information to process, so Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were very quiet when they followed Kyu to dinner. Almost everyone took it together, except for the guards who were still outside and Kyu who brought them the dinner. Some were teens but most of them were in their early twenties. 6 of them were like Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, ordinary people. They had like the two helped someone escape or were with them for reasons they liked to keep a secret. The dinner was rather sparse and consisted of rice and something that resembled some sort of odd vegetable. After dinner, they cleaned up together and a group of 3 started doing the dishes in an improvised kitchen.

Kyu came back inside carrying two large trays with empty bowls and cups. “What are they doing?” Junmyeon asked when 5 of the yellow eyed people were getting on the floor. “They are praying”, Kyu said. “Praying?” Junmyeon asked and reached out his hand. “Can I help you?” He took one of the trays and helped carrying it to the kitchen.  
“Who believes in God these days?” he murmured. Kyu put the tray down on a wooden table. “They are all free here to practice their religion if they have one. Others who do not believe or have another religion are not allowed to attack the others or question the way they practice their religion”, Kyu said. Junmyeon watched the 5 people praying from where they were standing. “That’s nice. I wished more people could think like that”, he murmured. Kyu looked at him and her eyes narrowed shortly. “Do you want to take a walk outside? It is cool now”, she said. Junmyeon looked at her in surprise. “I – uh, yes”, he said and followed her outside.

 It was still warm but the sun had already set and the temperature was dropping quickly. They walked to the back of the large main building and by then it was already completely dark. “For being so allegedly violent and savage, you lead a more peaceful life than most villages and towns do”, Junmyeon said. Kyu was looking up into the sky and Junmyeon followed her eyes. “You can see the stars here like nowhere else”, Kyu said. And she was right, the sky was sparkling with stars glowing against the velvet black blue. “We’re not all like that. Some here have managed to go through that rigorous training at those camps. It is good to have them here as protection for those who cannot and do not want to fight. They have helped me rescue many”, Kyu said. “But it is true that many have deficits that you ordinary humans don’t have. All I can do, is teach them tolerance and acceptance. There is no room for feelings like friendship or love. They would not understand something like that. Most of them have been prosecuted and hurt since they were born, they cannot be so vulnerable and put this much trust in someone else”, Kyu said.

“But you are all here. You are standing together, how else does this work but through trust?” Junmyeon asked.  
“Rational thinking, logic and strategy”, Kyu said and shrugged. “It is the safest to stay here and help each other than to roam the desert alone”, Kyu said.  
“I think you’re underestimating your fellow comrades. I am sure that many stay and help out because they are grateful to you and what you’ve done for them. I think they would side with you and would fight with you”, Junmyeon said. Kyu looked at him surprised.  
“It’s you who cannot trust anyone, right?” Junmyeon said. Kyu looked away. “I think many stay out of fear, too. I am not that great saviour you maybe think I am”, Kyu said. “What do you mean?” Junmyeon asked. But Kyu did not answer, she led them back into the building. When they came inside Kyungsoo was helping two other yellow eyed boys to build a new tent out of cloths. “This will be yours”, Kyu said. “Thank you”, Junmyeon said. Kyu just nodded and walked off.

“How come Kyu knows so much?” Junmyeon asked. One of the boys turned around, he was one of the youngest. “Because she was there”, he started. “Shush, Kenta”, the other boy interrupted him harshly. “What do you mean, she was there?” Kyungsoo asked ignoring the other boy. “If she did not tell you herself then it’s none of your business”, the other boy however said and shoved Kenta away. They sat inside the tent and Jongin who was sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket stared straight ahead, his eyes focused on something no one could see. “She was there”, Jongin repeated then. Kyungsoo who was just creating beds for them with Junmyeon turned around.  
“What?” he asked. “What do you mean with she was there?” Junmyeon asked too. Jongin pulled his legs up to his chest. “She was there. She watched us from the other side”, Jongin said and pointed at something. “She was with Jian”, Jongin said quietly. “She was his personal guard. She was always with Jian”, Jongin whispered as if he was scared someone would hear them. He was different since they had arrived here. “Who is Jian?” Kyungsoo asked. “He made sure you did not go. His camp, it was his camp. He always said you cannot go”, Jongin said and his voice suddenly got louder and he buried his head between his knees and he started trembling very hard. “Okay, okay. It’s alright”, Kyungsoo said and dropped to his knees and put his arms around Jongin.

It took an hour to calm down Jongin and when he had fallen asleep, Junmyeon and Kyungsoo left the tent and looked for a quiet corner in the hall where no one would eavesdrop on them. “So he was in one of those camps and whatever they did there was so traumatising that it sent him into this state as soon as he saw Kyu again”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo had his arms crossed. “But isn’t it weird? Kyu is one of them, she has yellow eyes but it sounds like she was working for the people who did all those horrible things to her own kind!” Kyungsoo said.  
“Yeah”, Junmyeon murmured and bit his lip. He did not know why but he did not tell Kyungsoo that Kyu had hinted that she was not the great saviour. “But something must have happened. She suddenly started freeing people from those camps and created this safe shelter here”, Kyungsoo continued.   
“Another thing, if they are looking for them all over the place - especially since they probably know that Kyu betrayed them and freed several of them - they must be after them. How come they have not been found yet?” Junmyeon said. “I guess that’s why they’ve got those guards on the watch”, Kyungsoo said. “And we roamed the desert for years and never stumbled across this place. Now that I think about it, it is rather odd that we haven’t. I mean we did drove for quite a while that night, but I went pretty far with my division as well”, Kyungsoo said. “Well, but if we found it, they will too one day”, Junmyeon said.  
“Don’t worry, we’re prepared”, a voice said behind Junmyeon and they both flinched. Kyu stood behind them. She was carrying her long wooden stick again.   
“We expect everyone who stays here to contribute. So Kyungsoo, if I may ask for your military knowledge? Training is about to start, maybe you can teach our guards something”, she said. “Follow me”, she said and the two followed Kyu through the hall, she opened a heavy iron door and they took stairs down into the basement.

On the ground floor, they used fire as a light source but only scarcely. The basement was the same, only few scorches illuminated the basement. It was a hall, too, but it was smaller than the one upstairs. There were 6 people, 2 female and 4 male yellow eyed ones. In the far back of the hall Junmyeon could make out targets that had been shot at. But no one was carrying a weapon.

“We’ll practice close combat tonight”, Kyu said and pointed at Kyungsoo. “As we have a special guest tonight, let’s see if we can learn something from him. Or maybe you’ll learn something from us”, she said. Junmyeon stepped back. “I – uh – I’m not”, he stuttered. Kyu laughed. “I know, you can just watch. I brought you so you can be sure we won’t hurt your friend”, she said. Junmyeon blinked puzzled, then a frown appeared on his face.

Within a couple of minutes sweat was dripping down Kyungsoo’s chin and his arms were trembling. They were all incredibly strong and had much more stamina than he had. But they were lacking refined techniques, they did have strategies but they focused on their strength only. Kyungsoo who was smaller in general had learnt early on in his army training how to take advantage of that. Soon he had won every single fight which left all 6 in confused rage. But once Kyungsoo had explained them how he had won, they got interested and let him show them his techniques. An hour later, Kyungsoo had already won their respect. “Well done”, Kyu said and winked at Kyungsoo.   
“You can go and take a shower with them upstairs. I’d like a word with Junmyeon”, she said.

Kyungsoo went with the four guys to take a shower, which was outside the big building in one of the small sheds. He got a set of the same brownish clothes the others of the guard wore. “Welcome to the shelter, Kyungsoo”, Minseok said as they stepped into the shower shed. Minseok was the oldest of the group and one of the strongest. “Thanks”, Kyungsoo said and smiled at him. “Were you in one of those camps as well? Sorry – I shouldn’t have asked”, Kyungsoo said and immediately apologised. Minseok shrugged as he got undressed. “Nah, it’s fine. I was in one and I completed my training there. My time was not easy, sure, but not as bad as most people’s. Some are traumatised from what they’ve gone through. I mean some camps are supposed to be really… cruel”, Minseok said and Kyungsoo thought of Jongin. He suddenly had the urge to get back to his tent as quickly as possible. He quickly undressed too. There were no showers like Kyungsoo was used to, they could only spill buckets of water over their heads and scrub their body with soap. Minseok was very muscular despite their meagre food supply, he looked very healthy safe for the many scars and bruises. On his right shoulder there was a tattoo, the number 7. “We’ve got weapon training tomorrow”, he said as he grabbed his towel. “See you there?” Minseok asked. “Sure”, Kyungsoo said and Minseok left the shed.

Kyungsoo quickly finished too and slipped into his new clothes. His hair still wet, he hurried back to his tent. Junmyeon had not yet returned but Jongin was awake and he looked anxious. Jongin’s eyes went up to Kyungsoo’s wet hair and his flushed face. “I was training with the guard”, Kyungsoo explained and sat down in front of Jongin. “Sorry, I did not want to wake you up to tell you. How are you feeling?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin’s yellow eyes just stared into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “It’s late, we should get some more sleep”, Kyungsoo said then. “You should sleep”, Jongin said. “Uh, what?” Kyungsoo asked. “I don’t need more sleep”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo frowned. “You did not sleep well earlier”, Jongin said matter of fact. Kyungsoo blinked. It was true when he had drifted into a light sleep earlier that day he had seen the soldier he had shot, he had just looked at him, he dreamt of all the blood. Kyungsoo looked away.

“It was an exhausting night, how can anyone sleep well after that?” he said.  
“You had a nightmare”, Jongin said bluntly. “Were you watching me sleep?” Kyungsoo snapped. He did not want to think of the soldier again, he had hoped that the good exercise had exhausted him in a way that would let him sleep calmly. He sighed and put his forehead into his hands and when Jongin remained silent, he finally looked up. Jongin was still staring at him. “Sorry, I didn’t want to shout – what?” Kyungsoo apologised but interrupted himself. “It’s dangerous to sleep when no one is there to make sure you won’t be attacked”, Jongin said. “What?” Kyungsoo asked blankly. “If they had come back into the tent and killed you while you were sleeping”, Jongin started and Kyungsoo started laughing. “Why is that funny?” Jongin asked. “What would you have done then?” Kyungsoo asked. “I would have woken you up and I would have fought”, Jongin said plainly. Kyungsoo’s laughter faded away and he just looked at Jongin. He flinched back when Jongin suddenly reached out his hand and touched his face.

He could not understand why Kyungsoo was laughing. It was not funny, Jongin’s nerves had been on edge and he did not trust the people here. What if they came back to murder Kyungsoo and Junmyeon? They were none of them, so it would be only logical to kill them. When Jongin said that he would have woken up Kyungsoo to fight with him, Kyungsoo stopped laughing. And he looked at Jongin again with this look that Jongin could not understand. He had never seen it in anyone’s eyes, it was as if they were radiating a warmth that transcended his eyes and went right into Jongin’s chest and filled him up. But when he reached out to touch Kyungsoo’s face, right beside his eye he could not feel anything unusual that would explain the warmth he felt. Kyungsoo’s face was warm but he had just exercised. Kyungsoo’s skin was soft under his fingertips unlike Jongin’s rough skin. When Jongin’s fingers slowly wandered down Kyungsoo’s cheek, Kyungsoo closed his eyes. Jongin could not understand why and for a second he was worried the warmth would disappear but it did not go away. Kyungsoo opened his eyes again and touched Jongin’s hand with his own.

 

*

Junmyeon had come back late that night, he seemed to have taken a shower as well because he came in with wet hair. He had gotten grey clothes to wear, but Kyungsoo only glimpsed at him and went back to sleep. They soon found a routine in living at the shelter. Kyungsoo trained everyday with the guard and learnt new things. Shaila, one of the girls, was very skilled in throwing knives and taught Kyungsoo some tricks. Sometimes Kyungsoo taught them new techniques. Junmyeon was usually in their tent writing down everything he knew, but he often went into Kyu’s tent which was full of books and scriptures to look something up. Kyu was out the entire day but in the evenings she sat down with Junmyeon and Kyungsoo in her tent to talk. Junmyeon tried to learn more about the designer children, the mutated children and the studies that had been done on it. But Kyu had only few fragments of it and her own knowledge was not complete either. Kyungsoo wanted to see the maps that Kyu had drawn. She was a very gifted artist and the huge maps she had created incorporated many details. To each village or town that was drawn Kyu had written down the language that was spoken there in the native language and script. With Kyungsoo’s help she had added the town that Junmyeon and Kyungsoo had come from on the map. It seemed they had driven quite the way and must have passed through an area that should have been blocked because of radiation hazard. “I’ve drawn maps of the desert and my exploration tours as well… but I left them all behind”, Kyungsoo said thoughtfully.

Minseok taught them the language that Kyu had spoken in to them on their first day. “It is the language the nearest village here speaks. You need to be able to recognise it”, Minseok said. “If someone comes here or you meet someone who speaks that language you’ll know they’re dangerous”. Kyungsoo frowned. “If we had understood what you said to us that day, would you have killed us on the spot?” he asked. Minseok crossed his hands behind his head. “Yeah”, he said casually.   
Jongin joined the group that went out to get food, he taught the three others to hunt. So every now and then there was even fish or meat for dinner.

They had spent a few days at the shelter when Junmyeon entrusted Kyungsoo with what Kyu had told him. “They live together like a group of friends or family”, Kyungsoo had just said as they were washing their clothes in a shed outside. It was late afternoon but still extremely hot. “What?” Kyungsoo asked when he saw Junmyeon’s stony expression. Junmyeon looked over his shoulder but they were alone.

“Kyu told us that there were side effects right? Those mutated children have deficits”, Junmyeon murmured. Kyungsoo frowned. “What do you mean?” Junmyeon wrung out his shirt. “She said they are not capable of feeling anything like love or friendship. I didn’t believe her so I did research and went through all the studies and notes she had taken in her time at the camp. And it is true. Their brain doesn’t produce several hormones that are responsible for those feelings. The firstborns lacked any empathy or human feelings, most were more or less apathetic, some were simply cruel. Apparently there is a difference between every mutated child but still most of them are incapable of those feelings, so the scientists tried to do something about it”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo’s frown deepened. “Well no one here is apathetic or cruel. And most of them are rather young, so I guess they belong to the group of children that were born last and had undergone several – wait, they tried to do something about their lack of feelings? What did they do?” Kyungsoo asked.

Junmyeon hung up his clothes. “They injected them hormones to stimulate the brain into producing more of them”, Junmyeon said. “And? Seems to have worked”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon squatted down to wash the next piece of clothing. “They only did those experiments with the first 10 mutated children after that they tried to avoid the issue overall by improving their techniques”, Junmyeon said. When Junmyeon didn’t continue Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “What are you trying to say?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon kept washing the clothes, almost a little aggressively.

“He’s trying to say that they did some mean experiments with those 10 firstborn children but every child born after them is hardly an improvement, they’re just about as inhuman as the first 10”, a voice said. Kyungsoo flinched and turned around. Minseok was pulling the long thin cloth that replaced the door to the shed to the side and stepped inside. “Minseok! I – no – I would never call any of you inhumane!” Junmyeon called. Minseok smiled.  
“Well it’s true, isn’t it?” he said and sat down on the ground. “The truth is the first 10 born children are just worse than the others. But since they were the first ones they had to be the proof and evidence that their little experiment of designer children having children was successful. So they put a lot of work into it”, Minseok said. “Don’t worry about it, Junmyeon. We are more than inhumane, I’ve been there and seen it”, he said and then his lips pulled up in a very odd smile. “They taught us on how to act human. But that’s exactly what it is, an act. We’re acting human but we aren’t. We’ve been taught how to treat each other, we had to learn it the hard way and for way longer than you. Most things are still incomprehensible to me”, Minseok said. “For example?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok crossed his legs.

“Touching. I’ve seen quite a few ordinary people constantly needing to touch someone and be close to them. You’re only making yourself vulnerable and I don’t get why you would want to do it”, Minseok said thoughtfully. He leaned backwards onto his hands and looked up to the ceiling. “They injected us something and then made us put our arms around others. It was really strange”. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo exchanged wordlessly glances. Kyungsoo thought of Jongin and how he had touched his face.

“Minseok, do you have anyone you would call a friend?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon kicked Kyungsoo’s foot. Minseok saw it and grinned. “It’s fine, I knew you would ask”, Minseok said and looked up to the ceiling once more. He looked lost in deep thought. “Back at the camp there was someone. He helped me a lot and he was very kind. I called him my friend, he was the only one I’ve ever called my friend”, Minseok said. “What happened to him?” Junmyeon asked quietly. Minseok looked at Junmyeon. “I don’t know, he is still at the camp I suppose”, he said. “Did you run away without him?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok looked perfectly calm. “Yeah”.

After they had finished washing the clothes and hanging them up they returned to the main building. Today there was no training for Kyungsoo; Junmyeon went to Kyu’s tent to look something up in one of her scripts. Kyungsoo found Jongin sitting in the tent on the ground.

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asked surprised. “I thought you went out hunting”. Jongin shrugged. “Not today. The guards said no one can leave the building today”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo frowned. “No training and no hunting today? Even Kyu is staying inside…”, Kyungsoo murmured. Jongin leaned his chin onto his hands.   
“They are close”, he said then. Kyungsoo immediately looked at him. “Who is close?” Jongin looked down. “When we went out to hunt, I saw traces of cars. I knew that they were looking for us”, Jongin said. “But they are getting closer and closer. Kyu said that they’ve been living in this building since almost 2 years now”. Kyungsoo let out a long breath. “2 years is pretty long… but if you’ve seen their traces I just hope they didn’t see yours”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin looked almost insulted. “I don’t leave traces”.

Kyungsoo chuckled and looked at him. “I know but maybe the others did”. Jongin shook his head. “I taught them not to leave any”. Then they sat in silence for a moment. Kyungsoo wondered what would happen if they were actually found. He didn’t even know who ‘they’ were. He was so lost in thought, creating emergency scenarios, thinking of how best to defend the building and just thought of better asking the guard and Kyu about it, when he noticed that Jongin was staring at him. As usual he did not avert his eyes when Kyungsoo looked back at him. They looked at each other and Kyungsoo wished he could know what Jongin was thinking and whether he could even feel anything at all. Just then Jongin reached out his hand and put it against Kyungsoo’s cheek and murmured: “Warm” almost as if he had not realised that he had said it out loud. “My face is warm?” Kyungsoo asked. “No, your eyes”, Jongin said. “My – my eyes are warm?” Kyungsoo repeated.

Jongin’s hand started shaking when Kyungsoo had shifted a little closer. “Yes”, Jongin said quietly. Kyungsoo was so close now that their noses touched. He could feel Jongin’s breath on his lips, he was breathing very fast. Worried that he scared him, he slowly pulled back. Just then the tent was opened and Junmyeon stuck his head in.  
“Kyungsoo, could you come for a second?” he asked. Kyungsoo shortly closed his eyes in annoyance that the moment had been destroyed and sighed. “Yes”, he said and got up. He shortly looked at Jongin. “I’ll be back right away”, he said. He left the tent and Junmyeon walked with him a few steps away from the tent.

Junmyeon looked very serious so Kyungsoo forgot about his annoyance. “What happened?” he asked worried. “Kyu wants to talk to us”, Junmyeon said. While they walked towards Kyu’s tent he however continued quietly. “You seem to have forgotten what I just told you earlier”.

There weren’t many people in the hall and no one paid any attention to them. “Huh?” Kyungsoo made. “We could be attacked any other day”, Junmyeon hissed. “Excuse me? Am I not working hard every day, training my ass off? I have been thinking about nothing else, there is constantly these weird ass guys creeping around in my mind who plan on attacking us and taking all those people into camps to do what they did to Jongin” Kyungsoo said, his annoyance creeping up again. He had some difficulty keeping his voice down. “Where is that coming from now, Junmyeon? What the heck is wrong with you?”

Junmyeon glared at him. “Oh please, I’m not blind, Kyungsoo. You think no one saw it, but everytime you think you’re alone with Jongin you try to get closer to him”, he said quietly. Kyungsoo stared at Junmyeon. “Kyungsoo, have you forgotten who he is?” Junmyeon asked. “What?” Kyungsoo asked. “You’re expecting him to be like any other ordinary human. But he’s not”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo opened his mouth. “What? You expect me to treat him like they did back at our town?” Kyungsoo hissed. “No, Kyungsoo. Don’t act stupid, you treat him completely different. That’s the thing here”, Junmyeon said.  
“Then what is your problem?” Kyungsoo asked. “Kyungsoo, where do you think this is going? I am not seeing him as an inhuman lower being. He just thinks differently and that’s it. Kyungsoo, stop dreaming”, Junmyeon said.

There was a short moment of silence then Junmyeon’s mask broke and he bit his lip, looking close to tears. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I didn’t want to say it like that but I am scared for you, for all of us. I don’t want you to suffer more than you have to anyways”. Kyungsoo stared at him, he did not shout or cry but Junmyeon could see in his eyes how badly he had hurt him.

 “Leave me alone”, Kyungsoo said quietly. “Kyungsoo, I am not saying that without reason or to hurt you purposefully. I am trying to –“, Junmyeon started but Kyungsoo cut between. “I said leave me alone”, he said a little bit louder. “Kyungsoo, you know it yourself. Kyu said it herself to me, they cannot feel like a normal human being. He cannot love you and he won’t, I’m sorry, he isn’t a normal human being”, Junmyeon said. The tent was opened abruptly when a loud smack had echoed through the hall and drew the attention of everyone to them. Junmyeon held his face where Kyungsoo had hit him. “Don’t you dare to talk about him like that”, Kyungsoo hissed and walked out of the building. Kyu stared at Junmyeon. “What is going on here? Kyungsoo, come back this instant!”

Junmyeon looked away. “Nothing. I told Kyungsoo something he did not want to hear”, Junmyeon said. Minseok appeared next to Kyu in the opening of the tent. Minseok looked at Junmyeon with narrowed eyes. “Minseok, get Kyungsoo back here and fetch Jongin on your way”, Kyu demanded. Minseok nodded and followed Kyungsoo. Junmyeon entered the tent and could feel Kyu’s eyes on him, piercing through him as if she was trying to read his mind. There were 3 others in the tent, Shaila, Sean and a young boy who was always drawing very complex paintings in his free time. Minseok returned with Kyungsoo and Jongin and they all settled down.

“Okay, I have gathered you here because I am afraid that we might be found any day now. Fleeing is too risky, so we have to prepare to defend ourselves and fight. I want to go through several strategies with you”, Kyu said. She explained different ways and methods that she expected the attacks to happen. Shaila and Minseok suggested different points for the guards to be positioned and what kind of weapons to carry. They talked until late into the night, the next morning there was a compulsory training for everyone in how to use a gun and a knife. Everyone was already very skilled in close combat but Kyungsoo didn’t think it would help much if they were attacked with guns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god please don't hate Junmyeon OTL
> 
> Thank you for your kudos ♥♥ my heart always skips a beat when I see someone left kudos  
> I really appreciate that!
> 
> I'm curious to hear your thoughts so far~ Minseok finally appeared and a new danger is drawing in on them...


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long break, but here an extra long chapter~  
> I hope you enjoy it

They had finished their practice and prepared lunch. Everyone was tense but they relaxed a bit while eating and two of the youngest had just started cleaning the table when one of them dropped everything she was holding. At the shattering sound Kyu jumped to her feet.  
They had made so many plans but they had not expected their attack to come in the middle of the day and so soon. Kyungsoo and Minseok had jumped to their feet, they had just started that day to carry their weapons with them at all times. Kyungsoo pulled his gun and aimed at the hooded person who had shot their youngest. Kyungsoo could not tell whether it was a man or a woman or how old. The person was entirely clad in black clothes, the lower half of their face was covered in a black mask and the upper half was veiled. Kyungsoo did not hesitate and shot immediately. The blazing heat and desert wind flooded the hall. And with it a group of 6 others flooded into the hall, they all wore black clothes and moved fast. They hit Shaila who went down with a painful howl. Kyungsoo pulled Jongin down and got up again to shoot at one of them. He managed to hit one of them in the leg but just in the few seconds in which he crouched down for cover and got back up to shoot, he saw how many had been wounded already.  
It was chaos, footsteps and the banging sound of the weapons echoed in the hall. Kyungsoo cursed and reached for his second gun as he had used up all his munition. 

“Alright, that will do”, someone called into the hall and the black clad people stopped attacking them. Another person had entered the hall, he was a tall man with a clean shaven head. His eyes were so black they looked like coals. His lower part of his face was covered in a black mask but to Kyungsoo it looked like he was grinning.  
“Now we did not come to kill you. After all we have been looking for you for so long. I was longing to see you all again”, he said. His voice was hoarse and made Kyungsoo’s insides squirm. Jongin had frozen under the table, his eyes were staring ahead without focusing on anything and it seemed like the voice had the same effect on everyone in the room. Except for those whose eyes were not yellow. Kyungsoo frowned and looked over to Junmyeon who had been shot in the arm and was leaning against the wall, breathing hard. The black clad people quickly hurried around the hall to take away everyone’s weapons, Kyungsoo hastily shoved his knife into his shoe. When Kyungsoo tried to struggle against them taking his gun, the man had put a knife against his neck so fast that Kyungsoo could only gasp. “Try something funny and we kill you and your friend”, he hissed.

“I believe you have something that is mine”, the tall man with the coal black eyes said and walked into the hall closer to the table where Kyungsoo was standing. Kyu stepped past Kyungsoo, she was not wounded but her hands were covered in blood. It seemed like she had tried to stop Junmyeon’s bleeding. Her face was emotionless. But the bald man spread his arms wide and smiled broadly. “My dearest, there you are”, he said. “I was worried”.  
While he was talking, Sean was creeping around checking on everyone. It seemed that no one had died, they all had been shot by poisoned bullets that had a similar effect as Junmyeon’s tranquiliser.  
“What do you want here?” Kyu asked loudly as if it was not clear. The tall man clapped his hands. “Well, is that how you greet your loving husband after not seeing him for almost 3 years?” the man asked, now with a dangerous undertone. Kyu made a choked huffing sound. “Why are you covering your pretty face, darling?” the man said now gently and removed Kyu’s mask. Only then Kyungsoo realised that it was the exact same type of mask, the bald man and his companions were wearing. He had thought that Kyu was hiding another scar or bad wound underneath the mask but there was nothing of the like. Her face looked absolutely normal. 

“You’re so quiet suddenly”, the man said. “I thought you were going to try and kill me. You were such a ferocious beast back then. It took a long time to tame you”. Kyu let hear the same growl that so often came from Jongin’s mouth. “You did not tame me”, she hissed. The man laughed quietly. “Very well, I can try again. You are all coming back with me”, he said. “Chain them up”, he ordered his men.  
“No!” Kyu called and whirled around. “And how are you going to stop me?” he asked. “I know that you don’t want any of them to die. So you will have to let me have my way”.  
Kyu had her back turned to them but Kyungsoo could see that she was breathing hard and her hands were shaking in anger. One of the black clad figures had started chaining those up who were transfixed by the bullets that had hit them. 

“But there is indeed a specific reason why we came today. Today is a special day, you know”, the man said.  
“Is that Jian? The guy who leads and owns one of the camps?” Kyungsoo whispered. Sean who was now crouching beside him and Jongin, nodded.  
“Is it?” Kyu asked. Jian walked past her and stopped in front of Minseok who was already chained up. “Get up”, he demanded sharply. Minseok just glared at him but Jian kicked him into the side. “Get up!”  
Minseok growled. Kyungsoo’s hands clenched into fists. “The special treatment is long over. I no longer care about your number and you can be sure that the Feng group doesn’t either”, Jian said quietly. “GET UP!” He kicked Minseok so hard into his side that Minseok gasped and coughed. Jian grabbed Minseok by his hair and dragged him over to where his fellow men stood. He let Minseok drop in the middle of the room.  
“Today marks the day, you betrayed us”, Jian said. “Have you forgotten? You had a bit of help, didn’t you?” Jian continued. He made Minseok sit on his knees and grabbed his face. “Someone helped you, right?” Jian asked with a piercing glare. But Minseok remained silent. Then Jian laughed and pushed Minseok’s face away. “You need not tell me his name, there is no point in remaining silent. I already know who of my men helped you escape”, Jian said. Minseok’s chained hands clenched for a moment and then relaxed again. “You’re lying”, Minseok said quietly. Jian looked down at him. “No, it was easy to figure out. You of course would not understand why it was so easy. Because you, little monster, you do not understand how ordinary humans think”, Jian said and patted his head. “It was obvious that it was your ‘friend’ who helped you get out. That’s what you called him, right?” Minseok looked down at the ground. “He’s got his punishment and you’re getting yours. This is a reminder for all of you. This is what happens to those who run away. You are getting a second chance today and he will take the burden of dying for you guys”, Jian called into the hall. “What did you do to him?” Minseok asked. Jian smiled.  
“I doubt you would understand”, Jian said and then beckoned one of his men over. The black clad man stood next to Jian. “Take it off”, Jian ordered. The man obeyed and removed his mask and hood. He was very young, probably in his early twenties. His brown hair was wavy and hung into his forehead. His eyes were brown and looked oddly vacant. Minseok opened his mouth and looked at him.  
“Now, as a reminder to you, my guard”, Jian boomed. “If you betray me, you will pay just the same. Jongdae, see it as your way of atonement and punishment, you may shoot your lovely friend whom you helped escape”, Jian said. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. He had not thought that the friend Minseok had spoken about was one of the men who had held him imprisoned at the camp.  
“Before you die, let me explain to you how I knew it was Jongdae who helped you escape”, Jian said. “You said that already”, Minseok hissed. “Oh you were such an obedient young mutation, you were popular with my guard. It could have been anyone you had called your friend while you were medicated”, Jian said and waved his hand.  
“The hint did not come from you but from my guard. Jongdae gave himself away”, Jian said with an icy smile. “What do you mean?” Minseok called and looked at Jongdae. Jongdae did not show any emotion and did not move.  
“I noticed that one of my guards always happened to be on duty when you received your daily dose of medication and who switched with other guards to be your instructor. I only had to look for one of my guards who was in love with you”. 

Kyungsoo’s heart was racing against his chest. Jongdae, the guard, still showed no emotion as he drew his gun and stepped behind Minseok and pointed his gun at Minseok’s head. Minseok was looking down and Kyungsoo didn’t know whether Minseok could grasp what this meant. Jongdae’s punishment was to kill the one he loved.  
“I'm feeling merciful today, you may say goodbye if you wish”, Jian said.  
“Jongdae”, was all Minseok said. 

Kyungsoo saw how Jongdae’s hand twitched at his name and Kyungsoo took the second of hesitation and threw the thin knife he had hidden by shoving it into his shoe. It hit Jongdae right into the shoulder, he gasped and reached for his shoulder. Kyu reacted immediately and snatched one of the guns from Jian’s guard and shot right at him. Kyu killed two of the guards and went straight at Jian and Kyungsoo saw what Kyu had been hiding under her mask. Kyu had thrown Jian down to the floor and as she jumped on him, she opened her mouth and bared her teeth. But they were all razor sharp and looked like fangs. Jian screamed and one of the guards shot at Kyu but missed her. There were only three guards left, Jongdae had sunken to his knees holding his shoulder. Jian managed to throw Kyu off and ran for it. “Retreat”, he shouted on his way out. The three other guards followed him, dropping half of the weapons they had taken away from everyone at the shelter. Kyu shot at them while they were running, she hit one of them in the leg and one in the arm but they managed to get away. She followed them outside and returned with a stony face. She was dragging something behind her and it turned out to be their own guard. Kyungsoo stared at the girl and boy he had trained with for the past days. They were both dead.

Kyungsoo and Kyu helped everyone take off their chains and helped Junmyeon into Sean’s tent. The wound was not as bad as it looked and Junmyeon kept reaffirming that he was fine. Back in the hall, they looked at the only guard left behind by Jian. Jongdae was breathing hard, he had by now sunken to the side. “Sean”, Minseok called. Sean frowned but did not come over. Kyungsoo finally hurried over and looked at the wound, the knife had pierced through his chest and shoulder. “Sean, help me”, Kyungsoo called. But Sean turned away. Jongdae groaned quietly and turned his head. It looked almost as if he had awoken from a trance. “Minseok”, he pressed out. Minseok hesitated then he slipped his arms under the young man and lifted him up.  
“You – you made it. I’m glad. You’re alive”, Jongdae said between heavy breaths. Minseok carried him into Sean’s tent and put him onto one of the stretchers. Kyungsoo followed him and Junmyeon who was still in the tent immediately got up to help. When they pulled out the knife, Jongdae screamed. Kyungsoo had learnt some basics in first aid and Junmyeon’s knowledge went a bit further but neither of them were as skilled as Sean. They disinfected the wound and wrapped it up but no matter how much they pressed, the bleeding did not stop. Jongdae’s breathing got weaker and weaker, sweat was rolling down his forehead but he kept looking at Minseok with feverish eyes. They kept trying for an hour and were about to give up when the tent opened and Sean came inside. Kyu was standing behind him with an odd expression on her face. She had put the mask back on.

“Junmyeon, get some rest. You are wounded, too”, she said. “I’m fine”, Junmyeon protested. Sean stepped up to Jongdae’s stretcher and removed the bloody bandage and then started treating the wound. He dabbed something on the wound and then got out a fine needle and a thread and sow the wound together. Jongdae was biting hard on his lip and looked as if he was about to faint. “Take his hand”, Kyungsoo said to Minseok who stood by his side staring at Jongdae. “What?” Minseok asked. “Do it”, Kyungsoo said. Minseok looked puzzled but did as Kyungsoo had told him. He rested his fingertips on Jongdae’s fist which unclenched slowly. Jongdae looked at him, he was beyond exhausted. Very carefully Minseok slid his hand into Jongdae’s. Sean finished up and gave Jongdae a bluish liquid to drink. Then Jongdae fell asleep and Sean left the tent with a grim expression. “Thank you, Sean”, Kyungsoo said. Sean said nothing and left the tent. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon exchanged glances and then got up and left Minseok alone with Jongdae.  
Outside they had already started cleaning up. The two guards were buried outside. “Why did they suddenly retreat?” Junmyeon asked Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
“Maybe he got scared of Kyu”, he said. “He said he was her husband”, Junmyeon added with a strange expression. They joined the others in repairing the tents.  
“Well, Jian forced her to. They are not legally married or anything. But he made her live with him”, Shaila said who had overheard them. Junmyeon turned around. “Yeah, we all thought she was living a better life than we were in the camp. But she was just his own personal prisoner, it was probably even worse than what we had”, Shaila continued. “And her teeth?” Kyungsoo asked quietly, checking whether Kyu was close. But Kyu was nowhere to be seen. “Is that part of – uhm”, Kyungsoo started. “Mutation? No, they sharpened her teeth when she was a little child”, Shaila said. “Why?” Junmyeon asked distraught. “I don’t really know but Jian knows. That’s why he got scared”, Shaila said. Kyungsoo suddenly had a very unsettling thought but quickly pushed it away. He saw Jongin sweeping the floor and somehow it was calming to watched him for a bit. 

*

Junmyeon checked that Kyungsoo and Jongin were fast asleep and then quietly slipped out of the tent. There was no light in the hall anymore, except for a very dim stream that came from the back of the hall. Junmyeon tiptoed through the hall towards Kyu’s tent where the dim light came from. He wanted to open the tent but he heard voices from inside.  
“I need it. Give it to me”, Minseok demanded. “No, surely not”, Kyu said back. “Just one shot, Kyu. I need it”, Minseok insisted. “Minseok, especially not one shot. It would mess you up immediately and after this the last thing we need is our strongest guard to be unstable”, Kyu said.  
“I am not asking for permission”, Minseok said roughly. “Minseok, just think about the consequences. Why would you want to take them anyways? Your last shot of it was 2 years ago”, Kyu said. Minseok did not answer straight away. “I need to know what I would feel for Jongdae if I was normal. Today he almost killed me and nearly died himself. I look at him and I clearly remember that I called him friend. I know he was there when I learnt about friendship and all that rubbish. I know he was – always there. He helped me escape. But I cannot feel anything, there is nothing. I know I should be feeling something but over the last 2 years I could tell how it all declined. I do not see anyone here as a friend, it is very different from when I first arrived here”, Minseok said.  
“Minseok, if you take a shot, you will not experience anything real”, Kyu said. “I need to know and understand”, he growled. “Minseok, love is nothing like they’ve told us. It is painful and hurts, I don’t want you to experience that pain. It is better to look at Jongdae and not feel anything than take that shot and suffer”, Kyu said.  
“I don’t care. I just need to know. I need to know what I would feel”, Minseok said. “What you would feel? You’re injecting a specific cocktail of hormones into your veins that would only call for one specific feeling, Minseok. This is no replacement for real feelings. We don’t have them, accept that Minseok. You cannot feel anything like love for him or anyone”, Kyu said. “You have been taking these hormones for your entire life, you can feel empathy and love and friendship. So why can’t I?” Minseok asked quietly. “He – He is my friend”.

Kyu let out a breath. “You’re my friend, too, Minseok. I don’t want you to suffer”. Minseok paced up and down in the tent. “Look, some of us are either lucky enough or unlucky enough to be able to develop some feelings. Maybe we, the first 10 can, too. If it really is meant to be, you would feel something for him. It doesn’t have to be anything like you expect it to be”, Kyu said. “What do you mean?” Minseok asked. “Think of what he’s done for you and ask yourself whether you would do the same”, Kyu said.  
Junmyeon had barely time to hide when then tent opened and Minseok appeared. Minseok walked back into Sean’s treatment tent where Jongdae was still sleeping. 

“Junmyeon?” He flinched when Kyu stood next to him.  
Junmyeon sat down inside the tent and took the cup that Kyu handed him. It was a weak replacement of tea but in the cold desert nights it was better than nothing.  
“They will come back, won’t they?” he asked. Kyu nodded. “We can’t stay here”, she said. “I expect them to be back by tomorrow afternoon”.  
Junmyeon got up. “But then we should move immediately”, he said loudly. “And where exactly should we go to?” Kyu asked. Junmyeon sat down. “I don’t know”, he muttered.  
Kyu rubbed her temples and sighed.  
“We have to prepare to fight them. If we ran away… I wouldn’t know where to go. I have been looking for another place like this for almost 3 years, I have not found anything”, Kyu murmured. “We’re 23 people, I guess they have more than just those 7 that turned up today”, Junmyeon said. Kyu hummed. “There are three big camps, every camp has about 15 workers. 7 of them are guards who are trained soldiers like those earlier. Then of course, they’d probably have the support of the city police”, Kyu murmured.  
“City police?” Junmyeon asked.  
Kyu rolled over and pulled out her biggest map. “Here”, she said tapped onto the map. “This is where we are, in the middle of the desert. The camps are here – and here – and here”, she said pointing to different rectangle shaped marks on the map. They were all rather far away, to the east and south.  
“Over here”, she said and pointed at a red dot right at the coast. “This is where the city is. If you thought that the town you’re from is one of the few spots on earth that are still modern… wait till you see the city”, she said. Junmyeon looked at it. 

He had heard about big cities in the south, prosperous and providing the smaller towns with money as long as they contributed. Anything from new technology, medicine, weapons to probably yellow eyed mutations. Junmyeon’s grandfather had left the family when Junmyeon had been young, after that he had never heard from him again and his memories of him had faded. But he knew that his grandfather had left them to live somewhere else. His parents had just called it ‘the city’. His grandfather had been a great scientist, too and he had always supported Junmyeon’s interest for science. For a moment Junmyeon wondered whether his grandfather had been working alongside with the Feng group or whoever was responsible for the experiments on the designer children and their yellow eyed offspring.  
“Who is the Feng group?” Junmyeon asked. “They financed the entire experiment. They are one of the richest organisations out there and they probably think that they can sell immortality or immunity or whatever it is like a new drug or method to the other cities”, Kyu said.  
Junmyeon’s eyes fell on a leather bag on the table, the large map had covered it before. He could see small syringes and bottles of pills in it. She seemed to notice because she closed the bag. “I overheard your conversation earlier with Minseok”, Junmyeon confessed. “I thought so”, Kyu simply said. “I had heard from others here that at the camps they treated everyone with hormones and other pills to make up for the lack of human emotions”, Junmyeon said hesitant. A small frown appeared on Kyu’s forehead. “If you overheard the conversation you should know why Minseok wants to take the drug”, Kyu said. Junmyeon shook his head. “No, I wondered why you have those drugs”, he said. Kyu hummed and tapped her mask.  
“And I wondered where you got them from. It is hard to get medicine or produce it yourself. You hardly have the ingredients or equipment to make them yourself here”, Junmyeon said. Kyu crossed her legs and looked at him. “No, I steal the drugs”, she said. “I took large amounts with me when I ran away but every now and then I go back, sneak inside and steal either the finished product or a few ingredients to mix the more simpler drugs myself”, she said. Junmyeon shook his head. “What for? So you will have enough empathy to rescue all those people or to let them stay here, to take care of them?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu let out a short bleak laughter. “I don’t take all these drugs because I want to”, she said. Junmyeon frowned. “I have to”, Kyu said. She sighed.

“We were ten. The ten example children who had to be a big success at all cost”, she said and leaned her face onto her hand. Somehow she looked sad.  
“Number one is the city’s prince, he is a success as they like to say. He is intelligent and pretty and did everything they wanted him to do. He was not necessarily violent, but arrogant and cold-hearted and egoistic. Number two was an utter fail, she was pretty and intelligent all the way but she never spoke a word. She never showed any emotion either and she could not fight at all. She would always sit and stare straight ahead like a breathing shell”, Kyu told Junmyeon. “She was? She died?” Junmyeon asked quietly. Kyu shrugged. “I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in such a long time. Not since I… was taken away from the camp”, Kyu murmured.  
“And the others?” Junmyeon asked.  
“Number three was in their eyes the worst. They could not control him and his case had to be hushed up”, Kyu said. For a while she just looked at the cloths that made up her tent and looked lost in thought. “Why? What did he do?” Junmyeon asked.  
“He killed his parents during a visit and later he went rampage again and killed three guards and attacked number five. Number five was also pretty violent and tried to kill one of the guards but I think they managed to get number five under control”, Kyu said. “What happened to number three?” Junmyeon whispered. Kyu looked at him shortly.  
“They killed him and we were not allowed to see our parents anymore”, Kyu answered. “I’m sorry”, Junmyeon murmured. “Don’t be. I cannot remember my parents”, Kyu said and shrugged. “Number three, five and nine were the worst. So they killed number three and managed to get control of number five. Number four then again was a big success, he did everything as he was told to. Number seven was also doing fine. Number five completed his training and joined the guard, number seven however ran away after he completed his training”, Kyu said. “Wait”, Junmyeon said as he remembered the tattoo on Minseok’s shoulder.  
“Minseok is number 7?” Kyu nodded.  
“Number eight died before she turned 5 years old, number nine as I said was pretty violent, too. They could not control her for a long time”, Kyu said. “But in the end they did?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu nodded. “Yes, she was not allowed any weapons for the longest time but when they managed to gain control over her, she completed her training very quickly. Number ten is also a great success, she lives in the city as far as I know as one of the glorious examples”, Kyu said.  
“But if they only need your genetics why would they chase down all yellow eyed mutations? They already have a few, isn’t that enough?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu drummed her fingers onto her thigh. “All the children after the first ten went through different experiments. They meddled around with their brains and genes, so many of them never needed the hormone treatment. They are able to feel and think much more like ordinary humans like the first ten. Each of them is unique and they need all the data, I guess. Why only look for immortality or prolonged life as they called it? There is no such thing as immortality... I bet they have so much more plans that I never knew of”, Kyu said. Junmyeon eyed her. 

“Why don’t you ask the question that you want to ask so badly?” Kyu asked. Junmyeon flushed. “Which number are you?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu reached up and pulled the collar of her shirt to the side until her shoulder was exposed. The number 9 was tattooed onto her skin. “So they managed to control you by pumping you full with drugs? And you still have to take them?” Junmyeon asked quietly. “Well, I don’t have to but if I didn’t I might go berserk and kill everyone around me if I’m in the mood, I guess”, Kyu said lightly. “And the – teeth?” Junmyeon asked. “They took away all the weapons so I made my own. I sharpened them myself when I was 7”, Kyu said. “I don’t remember too much of whenever I would go mad. But I usually threw them to the ground and bit them until...”, Kyu said. Junmyeon understood why Jian had suddenly panicked when Kyu had jumped on him and bared her fangs.  
“Maybe I should stop taking them and go ahead. I could try and kill as many as possible, maybe you could finish the rest and this would all be over”, Kyu said then suddenly. “What? No, that’s a suicide mission”, Junmyeon called distraught. “Besides, how many would have to die to stop these people coming for mutated people?”  
Kyu sighed. “Well, the leaders of each camp. Those are three people, then of course the leaders of the Feng group and every scientist and doctor involved. No one really knows who the Feng group is, how many there are… And as long as they are in leading position, the police and their personal guards will protect them. 7 guards per camp and the police which consist of – a lot of people. But if we broke into the city, one could find out the members of the Feng group”, Kyu counted. 

“Actually”, she said with a serious expression. “I had discussed this with Minseok before, now that we have no other chance anyway. We should do it”, she said.  
“No!” Junmyeon interrupted her. “Why not?” Kyu asked.  
“You're joking?! First of all, it’s too risky. And you would have to kill so many people, it’s more likely that you die before you get the job done”, Junmyeon said. Kyu frowned. “I would not mind. I think that’s what a revolution is, isn’t it? It always asks for sacrifices. Don’t get me wrong, I am not sacrificing myself because I pity the others or I don’t want them to die. I’m doing this because everyone of these people deserve to die”, Kyu said. Junmyeon suppressed a shiver. Kyu got up.  
“I will get Minseok”, she said and went to call Minseok. When she returned with Minseok, she had already filled him in on the plan. Minseok seemed to agree but since they had discussed these plans before, Junmyeon was not surprised. He however wished he had never talked to Kyu about it, maybe she would not have suggested actually pulling through with the so called plan.

“The three leaders of the camps will surely come for us tomorrow anyways. As soon as they are dead the rest should capitulate immediately, they are too sacred to act on their own. If we surprise them we might manage to kill them and could head to the city to take on the Feng group”, Kyu said.  
“Good, I’d say we split it up. Shaila, me and you take each one of the leaders. Then we could use their jeeps to get to the city with our strongest fighters. Jongdae knows the way into the city, he could lead us and there we take care of the Feng group”, Minseok said. 

Nothing that Junmyeon threw in could change their opinion on the plan. After half an hour they had a detailed plan, Junmyeon had not been able to keep up with their speed of thinking and memorising. It was already early in the morning and he was tired. Minseok and Kyu however seemed to be perfectly fine, they went out to wake everyone up and explain their plan. No one seemed to have any problems with the plan, except for Junmyeon. Kyungsoo did not look very happy but he did not say anything against the plan. 

“Kyungsoo, there is no way this completely insane plan could ever work. And even if it did and they managed to kill those three leaders, what then? I cannot imagine us getting into the city and simply – find those Feng people and kill them off. What would their deaths change then? They’d see them as a threat more than before and hunt them down”, Junmyeon hissed to Kyungsoo.  
“What other options do we have?” Kyungsoo asked back. “Oh I don’t know, but I surely won’t go on this – crazy suicide mission”, Junmyeon said. 

He flushed when he noticed how quiet it had gotten. “Good, no one asks you to”, Kyu said. She got up and with a clinking sound she dragged a long knife over the stone it had lain on. The knife was more of a short sword, it was as long as her underarm. “Wait”, Kyungsoo said and got up. Junmyeon’s heart stopped beating for a second and then continued to beat three times faster than usual. “We need Junmyeon”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon could hear the tense nervousness in his voice although he tried to play it cool.  
Kyu just slightly tilted her head. “You will need none mutations to drive the jeeps into the camps if you want our plan to work”, Kyungsoo said. “We have enough”, Kyu said.

Of course she was right, there were six men and women with black or brown eyes sitting amongst them. They had hidden during Jian’s attack as they were partly ex-guards of the camps. And keeping their presence and allegiance a secret was Kyu’s biggest trump. “No”, Kyungsoo said quickly when Kyu made a step forward.  
“Jongdae may know the way to the city but he cannot get us into the city”, Kyungsoo continued. “What do you mean?” Minseok asked.  
“There is a high wall surrounding the city and several control check points. You can only enter the city if you are a purist and even then only with explicit permission”, Jongdae said. He was pale but stable. 

“Junmyeon will be our ticket into the city. In fact, he is probably the only one who can easily get into the city”, Kyungsoo said. Kyu frowned. “How come?”  
Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon. Junmyeon was hesitant to reveal that information but he had no other choice. “My grandfather is a scientist and he moved to the city about 15 years ago”, he said then. “Junmyeon is a scientist, too. They will let him into the city to see his grandfather”, Kyungsoo said. 

Kyu lifted her chin but put the short sword back. “Fine, I’ll help you with that”, Junmyeon said, his heart still racing. “Just one problem, I don’t have any contact details of him”, he confessed. Kyu grinned. “Let that be our smallest problem. The camps have all great technology, as soon as we’re there we can use the computers to find your grandfather”, she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a wild ride, I confess... this story is rated with graphic depictions of violence so I hope that was warning enough :/
> 
> I could hardly wait to get Jongdae into the story!  
> What do you think, will he stand a chance with Minseok?


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break, I have a very important exam coming up...  
> Enjoy a long chapter until then. 
> 
> A fair warning: This chapter goes all out with graphic depictions of violence.

The sun was now rising quickly.   
Every non-mutated person was supposed to get an hour of sleep to be fit for their plan, while the rest prepared their attack. But Kyungsoo was helping alongside the other girl who was a purist and had always stuck to Kyu’s side. Kyungsoo had never spoken to her, she was always following Kyu around like a shadow but remained in the back. She also followed Kyu whenever she left the shelter and gave off the feeling as if she would kill anyone who tried to harm her. Kyungsoo had been surprised that she obeyed in hiding during Jian’s attack. But whatever Kyu said she did. She had black hair that was always tied in the back, her heavy eyebrows gave her the appearance of a hawk. Her eyes were of such a dark blue, they were almost black.   
“What’s your name?” Kyungsoo asked while they put on their new clothes. “Sarah”, she said. “Were you a guard at a camp?” Kyungsoo asked. She eyed him with suspicion.   
“No”, she said finally. “How come you know Kyu then?” Kyungsoo asked. But Sarah just gave him a dark look and turned away. Kyungsoo sighed and checked his weapons as well as Jongin’s and Junmyeon’s. He brought them to their tent just as he noticed that Jongin had been watching him. 

Kyungsoo was speaking to the other purist girl although he was supposed to be sleeping to gain enough strength for their upcoming fight. The two went to get the last bits of their new clothes which had been sown and created by a few who were skilled in crafts.  
Just when the girl took off the scarf she was usually wearing, Jongin spotted the long white lines on her neck. He recognised those patterns immediately, he had met other people with the same lines on their necks. It had been a tribe he had encountered a while ago and it was an encounter that Jongin was not likely to forget that fast. She was dangerous and would probably not hesitate to kill any of them as soon as their companionship meant no advantage to her anymore. He had to stay alert and kill her at the next best possibility. Kyungsoo who was smaller than all of them and appeared rather slim however had surprisingly broad shoulders and strong arms as he changed into his new clothes. Jongin could tell from Kyungsoo’s eyes that he did not trust the girl either. Then suddenly Kyungsoo walked directly towards him, he was carrying something wrapped in a thick cloth.   
“Here”, Kyungsoo said and put it down in their tent. He unwrapped it and handed Jongin one of the guns. “I’m not good with them”, Jongin said. “I rather fight with my hands”. Kyungsoo looked at him and although the warmth of his eyes was still there, there was also a hardness in them. “There might be a situation where you cannot fight with your hands, especially if it comes to distance. It is better to carry it and not use it than not have it at all”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin nodded and Kyungsoo fastened it on Jongin’s belt, then he pulled Jongin’s top over it. “Take also this”, Kyungsoo said and pulled a long knife from the cloth. The knife shimmered in the dim light and reflected both their faces on its blade. Jongin looked over the blade at Kyungsoo.   
“That girl is dangerous”, he said quietly. “Who? Sarah?” Kyungsoo asked. “She belongs to the warrior tribe from the north”, Jongin continued. Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed.   
“I saw what her people did”, Jongin whispered. Kyungsoo nodded. “Good, I’ll keep it in mind”, he said. Then once again they only looked at each other without saying anything. “Jongin?” Kyungsoo finally broke the silence. “Yes?” Jongin’s yellow eyes were still fixed on him. “Which camp were you in?” Kyungsoo asked. “Camp 2”, Jongin said.  
“How did you escape?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin did not answer but just looked at him.  
“If we succeed with our plan that means we will have to return to the camps… are you sure you can do that?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin said nothing and Kyungsoo grabbed his arm. “Jongin”. Jongin blinked and looked away.   
“You freed me from your town”, Jongin said. “Wha-? Yes”, Kyungsoo said puzzled. Jongin finally looked back at him. “Why?”   
Kyungsoo opened his mouth and closed it. His grip on Jongin’s arm tightened. “That’s not that easy”, Kyungsoo said. “Was it of advantage to you?” Jongin asked.   
“No”, Kyungsoo answered. “Did you want to run away?” Jongin asked further. “Yes, no. Not really. I had my family back there, my career”, Kyungsoo answered honestly.   
“But you left”, Jongin said. “Yeah”.  
Jongin looked confused. “I don’t understand”. Kyungsoo sighed and shook his head.   
“I believed in something that was a lie. I was fighting for a lie, they hurt you and that was nothing I could ever tolerate”, Kyungsoo said.   
“But I’m not like you, I’m a mutation... why would that upset you?” Jongin asked. “No one should get hurt like that. No one deserves anything like that. No one has the right to do such terrible things to other humans”, Kyungsoo said. “I’m not really human, am I?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo grabbed his shoulders and his eyes were glowing. “You – are!” Jongin looked at him strangely. “I don’t look like you”, he said. “Your eyes are different so what”, Kyungsoo whispered. “The rest of you looks like any other human”. Jongin tilted his head. “Is that enough?”  
Kyungsoo opened his mouth, he let out a breath, almost exasperated. “You’re more than human enough for me”, he whispered. “And if we survive this, I promise I will prove you that you are human in every way. Once you have the chance to live a normal life, you will see that you are human”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin’s lips twitched. 

He did not say out loud that he wished Kyungsoo had not said that. The only reason he had ever fought in his life was to survive, an urge that he was born with and could not change no matter what he wanted. He had never seen any reason to be alive and there had been no reason to stay alive but the pure and simple instinct of survival. Now that had changed, for a fragment of a second. Because they had to survive this fight and Jongin knew that the chances of both of them surviving were far too low.   
“You don’t believe in promises, do you?” Kyungsoo asked. He was very close, there were a few sprinkles of lighter colour in his eyes. “No”, Jongin said.   
“What do you believe in then?” Kyungsoo asked. There was a rustling sound and their tent was opened abruptly. “Get ready”, Minseok said. Junmyeon awoke with a start behind them. 

 

*

“Junmyeon”.

The heat was nearly knocking him off his feet, it was pressing down on him so heavy it took away every last bit of air to breathe. Sweat was running down his spine. The mask and veil that covered his face were itchy and made it even harder to breathe but at least they protected his face against the sand. Kyu looked at him.   
“I’ll give you a sign when it is save to come out”, she whispered. Junmyeon and the rest of the group, Sarah and 4 yellow eyed ones, nodded. Kyu turned around and took off and Junmyeon closed his eyes because he did not want to watch it.   
They had used a secret tunnel path to move quicker and closer to the convoy of guards that were preparing to attack them for a second time. The tunnel did not reach to where the convoy had settled for the night but it brought them very near, silently and invisible. The group was hiding behind a large rock formation while Kyu neared the convoy. They   
had put up two tents, around them were parked three jeeps. 

It was noon and therefore extremely hot. The heat made it even harder to wait, it made Junmyeon feel lazy and sluggish. Suddenly a shadow fell over them and as Junmyeon turned around, the sluggishness was gone immediately. The rest of the group was gone, instead there was a tall man standing.  
“Well, well”, Jian said. He pulled a gun and pointed it straight at Junmyeon. Junmyeon was breathing hard under the mask. He had a gun at his hip holster, too, but he could never pull it fast enough. Jian grinned awfully at him, now that he was not wearing a mask anymore, he bared a thin lipped and scarred mouth. Junmyeon’s breath hitched but before Jian could pull the trigger, he staggered with a surprised look on his face. There was a crunching sound and they turned into quick steps approaching them. Kyu was breathing hard, she was drenched in blood and in both her hands she held long objects that resembled syringes. One of them was missing a needle.   
Jian made a suffocated sound as he dropped forward into the sand. “I lowered the dose a bit”, Kyu said breathless and climbed over Jian. She then rammed the second needle into his neck. “And I changed the cocktail a bit, just for you”, she added.   
Her face was gleaming with pure hatred. Jian was twitching underneath her and gargled, gasping for air. “Yes, darling. I will sit here and joyfully watch how you die as slow and painful as possible. I would have ripped your head off but that’s not the death you deserve”, Kyu hissed. And it took long, it were probably not more than 10 minutes but to Junmyeon it seemed like an hour until the man had died. His gargling and grunting had gotten quieter until he bucked up one last time, before he died. He threw off Kyu who dropped onto the sand. The syringe rolled from her hand and she wiped her face with the back of her hand. Junmyeon felt sick but he had not thought he would see Kyu crying. A few tears dropped down her face and she was breathing hard. 

“Where is the rest?” Junmyeon dared to ask. “When Jian escaped me, I send them a secret signal to take care of the remaining guards”, Kyu said exhausted. She leaned against the rock, her shoulder touched Junmyeon’s. Maybe it was the blazing sun or the exhaustion but now that Junmyeon looked at her, her face had changed a lot. She was not wearing that stony cold expression or the thoughtful face, she was exhausted and looked a lot more human than ever before. “Junmyeon”, she said breathless. He hummed.   
“When we get to the camp, I have got a favour to ask of you”, she said. Junmyeon looked at her from under his veil. “But you cannot tell the others. You mustn’t tell anyone”, she whispered. “What is it?” Junmyeon asked half curious half dreading her answer. “Examine me”, she said. “What?” he asked perplex. “You’re a brain scientist”, she said.   
“What do you mean?” Junmyeon asked now very serious. Sweat was rolling down her temples.   
“I’ve always had a side effects from the drugs”, she said, still breathing hard. “But it got worse over the years”, she said. “I’m not a doctor”, Junmyeon said quietly.   
“But you’re the closest thing to a doctor”, Kyu pressed on. “I cannot trust anyone”, Kyu said. “The only doctors I’ve known insisted that I need those drugs, in exact that dose”. Junmyeon frowned. “What side effects?” he asked.   
“My hands are shaking and don’t stop. I cannot sleep, I don’t need much sleep, no one of us does. But lately I simply could not fall asleep anymore. I kept seeing – things that were not there”, she whispered. “I need a clear head”. She sounded almost desperate, so Junmyeon agreed. “I need to have a look at the drugs you’re taking”, he said. “They are all there at the camp and every equipment you will need”, she said. “You trust me to examine you?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu got up and looked at him.   
“Why are you asking?” she asked. “Oh you see, a couple of hours ago you wanted to kill me”, Junmyeon said. Kyu laughed a bit and then wiped the sweat from her face with her blood drenched sleeve. “I think I’ve tried to kill everyone I’ve met so far”, she said. They walked over to the jeeps and tents where the other four were waiting for them.   
“Jian is dead”, Kyu said loudly and they cheered.  
They used the resources left behind to clean them off and eat and drink and fill up their munition. Then they climbed into the jeeps and set off for camp 3.

*

It took them 2 full days until they got close to camp 1, but not until the morning of the third day had they actually reached camp 1. Jongdae’s hands were holding the steering wheel tightly as they drove towards the camp. Kyungsoo was sitting on the passenger seat, his face hidden under the same mask and veil that Jongdae was wearing. They both took off their veils as they reached the high fence that surrounded the camp. There was a large concrete building behind the fence and beyond that, another 1 hour drive lay the city.  
They stopped at the gate and a camera scanned their eyes. “Eye scan: complete. Purist”, an electronic voice said and the gate in the fence opened. They drove up to the concrete building and Jongdae stopped at a small house at the far left of the concrete building. “Identification”, the electronic voice called from a speaker of the small house.   
Jongdae turned towards the house and reached out his hand. There was a similar square shaped spot that reminded Kyungsoo of the technology at his home town. Jongdae placed his palm onto it and it scanned it. “Identity scan: Please wait”, the electronic voice said. Just then the door to the small house opened and a guard came out.   
“Good god, is that you Jongdae? What happened out there? They apparently found some hide out” the guard called. Jongdae turned his head towards the guard.   
“Yeah, I’ve been there”. The guard looked at him startled. “Man they said that you died out there!” he whispered. “Well no, I was wounded but not that badly. They left me behind but I came across a left behind jeep and scooped up another guard who had been injured. We managed to catch some mutations on our way back”, Jongdae said. 

The guard checked the back of the jeep, where 4 yellow eyed young men and women were sitting, their hands and feet tied up. “Good, man. The boss will be pleased”, the guard said and let them in. A gate that had not been visible before opened next to the small house and Jongdae drove through it. “Quick”, Jongdae whispered. The path led down and in a spiral, within a minute they had reached their destination. Kyungsoo had climbed over his seat and untied everyone in the back as fast as possible.   
“Free as many as possible to distract the guards”, Kyungsoo told them. It was cool down here, it looked like a garage for jeeps and trucks. They nodded and climbed out of the jeep. Kyungsoo and Jongdae followed, Jongdae immediately switched off the lights. Three pairs of yellow eyes disappeared quietly in the darkness. Jongdae led Kyungsoo the way out of the garage into the actual camp grounds, the last pair of yellow eyes, Minseok, followed them. They had to find the substitute leader of the camp and eliminate him.   
They left the garage and entered long corridors that were sparsely lit, it seemed like they were still underground. Everything here reminded Kyungsoo of a prison, except there were no bars but doors. They met another guard who eyed Minseok between them sceptically.   
“We’re bringing him to the boss”, Jongdae said. “Has he been checked already?” the other guard asked. “Of course”, Jongdae said sharply. The guard nodded and then without warning Minseok stormed at him, they struggled for mere seconds, then Jongdae had pulled Minseok down from the guard.   
“Alright, we might need to get him something to calm down first”, Jongdae added breathlessly. The guard brushed off the dust from his uniform.  
“You better, the boss is pretty tense today”, he said. Jongdae nodded and he shoved Minseok ahead, a bit rougher than before. They reached the end of the corridor and turned right without looking back. They walked the next corridor that led towards a heavy gate and Kyungsoo finally dared to look back.   
“He didn’t follow us, he bought it”, he murmured. “Did you get it?”   
Jongdae’s lips twitched into a short smirk when Minseok pulled out the key card he had stolen from the other guard. Jongdae opened the gate and they had to climb two flights of stairs. “We’re avoiding elevators”, he muttered. “Too many cameras and if we’re stuck – we’re stuck”. Finally they reached another iron door which Jongdae unlocked with the key card and they stepped into a different corridor. The walls were coloured in lighter colours and light streamed in. They were on the ground level but it was comfortably cool. Jongdae led the way, it was lucky that he had worked there and had also frequented the higher levels of the building or they would have been hopelessly lost in the maze of corridors. “There will be another gate and this key card will probably not unlock it, should we try it, there will be an alarm and we alert the higher security”, Jongdae muttered.   
“So what do we do?” Kyungsoo asked nervously. He wasn’t sure whether it was a good sign that they had only encountered two guards so far. But maybe everyone had joined in the hunt and they had been killed out in the desert. “We will have to trick the system”, Jongdae whispered as they walked ahead. “We need to cause a momentary disruption”, he said. “There will be a camera on the right corner on the ceiling”, Jongdae added. Kyungsoo nodded and ripped a bit of his veil off and pushed it into his pocket, holding it ready. “And the disruption?” he asked. Minseok smirked.   
“Around that corner”, Jongdae whispered. Kyungsoo walked ahead to cover the camera and then Jongdae and Minseok followed him. “Once they see that we covered the camera, they’ll send someone”, Kyungsoo muttered. Minseok pulled out another card, it looked old and battered and with it, his knife. “One – two – three”, Jongdae counted and they both placed the two cards at the gate. “Card could not be read. Please place your card above the scanner again”, the electronical voice said.  
Jongdae took out his own old key card and held it over the scanner. “Identification complete: Kim Jongdae”, the electronical voice said and there was a soft click. “Now”, Jongdae said and Minseok held the blade of the knife onto the scanner. There was a buzzing sound and the process got interrupted. “What now?” Kyungsoo asked tensely. “Wait a second”, Jongdae said tersely. Minseok was biting his lip and then with some effort he forced the scanner square out of the wall. Little cables and a complex system appeared behind it. Minseok cut through a few cables and then after considering for a few moments, he took two of the cut cables.  
“I think someone’s coming”, Kyungsoo whispered. “I know, be quiet”, Minseok said and pressed the cables together. There was another buzzing sound and the gate opened. They hurried through the gate and it closed behind them. Before them lay a circular sun lit hall with three doors ahead and the two security guards standing in the middle of the room were already expecting them.

“You’ve forced entry”, one of them said roughly. “Really?” Jongdae said and held up his key card. “I think I used my card to come inside, why don’t you take a look at it?” He tossed the card at the guard and pulled his gun so quickly, he had shot the guard just as he had caught the card. Kyungsoo knew that he could not hesitate and shot at the second guard. His hands were heavy and the blood was rushing in his ears. That was the second time that he had deliberately killed someone standing in front of him.   
“Which one?” Minseok asked. “The door on the left”, Jongdae said and climbed over the guards. Kyungsoo followed them. Jongdae knocked and Kyungsoo found it macabre that Jongdae even thought of knocking. Then Jongdae opened the door and Kyungsoo who expected more guards that would shoot immediately had his gun risen and ready. But there was no one, there was only a small room with a desk that probably a secretary usually occupied. Minseok crossed the room in few steps and pushed away the high book shelves and revealed another oak door. Kyungsoo looked away as Minseok opened the door. There was a confused male voice followed by tortured screaming.  
Jongdae looked entirely unimpressed by this and walked around the desk and pointed his gun downwards. “Come out”, he demanded roughly. Kyungsoo looked in horror how a young man crawled out from under the desk. “Don’t. Please”, the man begged. Jongdae made him stand up but he did not shoot. “Are you new here?” Jongdae asked. The man nodded and lowered his head, Kyungsoo thought to see tears. “Don’t shoot hi-“, he started but Jongdae had already shot. However not at his head or torso but he had hit the man’s hand. With a clunk a knife dropped to the floor and Kyungsoo opened his mouth. He had not even noticed that the man had tried to pull a weapon. The man charged at Jongdae who was thrown to the floor. But before the secretary could strike with his bare hands someone had grabbed his head and Kyungsoo gasped. Minseok broke the man’s neck without hesitation and dropped him to the side. Jongdae got up to his feet.  
“You alright?” Jongdae asked Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was at a loss of words. “I – yeah. How did you notice his knife?” he asked. He was a lieutenant and he had been good at his job and he had always praised himself at having excellent reaction and reflexes but he could not react one single time.   
Jongdae just made an indefinite movement with his head. “I used to work here”, he said. “As the secretary?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“No, but I know what it takes to be able to get this position”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo looked at Jongdae and he tried his best to hide his terror. He had no idea what he had previously thought of Jongdae. Jongdae had been a camp guard and from his clothes at their first encounter, he had been one of the highest guards. The black clothes, mask and veil were not worn by just any guard. Kyungsoo wondered whether Jongdae had killed many people before and that’s why it did not seem to unsettle him or whether working in such an environment had made him become numb. “Our job here is done. We need to get to the controlling room now and see whether we can get the rest of the people here on our side”, Jongdae said then. Jongdae took off the mask and veil completely and tossed them to the side, Kyungsoo did so too. Minseok and Jongdae walked ahead and as Kyungsoo turned, he saw in the ancient mirror that hung on the right behind the desk his own face. He barely recognised himself. His hair had grown, there were shadows under his eyes and his cheeks looked sunken in. He had lost weight. But the terror he felt inside was not to be seen on his face. His face looked stony and emotionless. He wondered whether he was qualified or even able to show Jongin any human feelings should he survive this madness. 

They walked back downstairs, with the substitute leader’s key card every gate opened for them without any problems. The rest of their group had freed every yellow eyed mutation that had been imprisoned in that camp. It were about 20 and among them were 3 guards who looked terrified. All were assembled in a hall that Jongdae referred to as the cafeteria. There were many tables and banks that had been secured on the floor. Minseok jumped onto a free table and looked into the crowd.   
“The leaders of this camp are dead. We eliminated them to punish them for what they have done to us. At this moment other groups are doing the same at the other two camps. We will proceed into the city and bring an end to this entire experiment!” Minseok shouted. “You may join us and take revenge or you may stay behind and live your life as you please. We will make sure that every person can live a free life”, Minseok continued. “We will overthrow the government that allowed all of this and create a new world in which we can be safe”.  
One of the girls crossed her arms. “I thought we’re not fit to live amongst humans”, she said. Her voice was raspy and rough, it sounded as if she had been screaming for the past days. Minseok looked at her. “I have lived the past 2 years with other humans, people like you and me and people like those two men here. They have been feeding us a lie, we are not dangerous. We do not have to live like this, locked away. We deserve to go outside and see and feel the sun, breathe fresh air and feel the wind on our skin. They have no right to our lives, they have no right to hurt us”, Minseok said.   
The yellow eyed people in the room exchanged gazes. “But we cannot feel or think like humans”, one of the boys said. Minseok climbed down from the table.   
“Every human feels and thinks differently. It is true that some of us have no emotions at all but there are possibilities to make us feel something again. Other options, not those drugs they gave us”, Minseok said to the boy. “How would you know?” the girl asked nastily. Minseok looked at her. “Because I made a friend, a real friend”, Minseok said. Jongdae stepped next to Minseok. “We’re not forcing you to join us. You can choose to do whatever you wish to do. But if you wish to get a chance of living in the city and fight for your rights, then come with us”, Jongdae said. “Oh we can do whatever we want?” the girl asked. Minseok frowned. “Yeah”.   
One of the timid guards stepped forward. “I-I join you!” he called. The girl turned towards the guard and she punched him in the face. Then she grabbed his head and beat him against one of the metal tables. The other guard screamed and covered his face. “Shut up!” the girl shouted. Her arms were shaking as she let go of the bleeding guard.   
“Scared now? Why, isn’t that what you were doing to me for the past months. You are allowed to do that to me, but I can’t do it to you, huh?” she asked. The guard had stopped screaming and was now shaking silently.

“What if we want to join you?” another boy asked. Minseok looked at him. “You would have to stick to the plan, you surely understand that we cannot bring down the Feng group and the government by simply storming into the city and killing everyone”, Minseok said. “So we would just hand over the power to command us to you”, the girl who had attacked the guards said. Minseok shrugged. “We’re a group. We discuss the plan together, we decide what is best together. All we ask for is that you then follow what we decided”, Minseok said. “Sounds fair enough”, one of the boys said. “I’m coming with you”. One after another they joined, only 3 remained. The girl who had smashed the guard’s head against the table, a timid looking boy and another boy whose wrist were bleeding. Kyungsoo knew those wounds, they came from being roughly handcuffed. Jongin had had the same wounds. 

*

“Camp 3 is the closest. The others will probably not even have reached the camp grounds”, Kyu said. Junmyeon was standing in the abandoned controlling room. When they had reached camp 3 it had already been abandoned and it looked like no one had been there for quite a while. They placed however two of their group outside as guards to warn them should anyone approach the camp. Kenta, the youngest and another girl, started to get the computers to work again and while Junmyeon waited, he explored the camp. It was a dark and grimy place. While they had used the best technology, it clashed with the old and rudimentary place. It looked like a prison from a long forgotten time.  
Junmyeon inspected the rooms on the underground level, they were all examination rooms or laboratories. He flinched when someone entered the room but it was only Kyu.  
“Let’s go upstairs to the security area. It’s less –“, she said and gestured her hand vaguely around the room. Junmyeon nodded and followed her out of the room.   
“Where do you think everyone went?” Junmyeon asked. Kyu looked straight ahead as they walked. “I don’t know, I was transferred to camp 1 when I was 13. This is the oldest camp of the three and it was meant for the worst cases”, Kyu explained. “There were never many in here. At first only the ten of us, then once they got a few of us under control, they were allowed to leave. Other people came in, not too many”, Kyu said.   
They reached the top of the stairs and a long corridor lay ahead. The heavy gate that would usually block the view had been destroyed and forced open. The ground floor did not look like the underground level. It probably had looked rather nice once, Junmyeon wasn't sure whether that was relieving or disturbing.   
But as they walked down the corridors the scene changed. The light coloured walls were stained with brown and blackish liquid. Kyu’s step sped up and Junmyeon followed her, she pulled her knives and Junmyeon readied his gun. His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his throat. At the end of the corridor there was a circular room which was flooded by sun light and it was strangely clean. Around the circular room there were three oak doors, all of them were open. One of the rooms looked like a private room, where someone had lived. The other room might have been a second controlling room and a storage room. There were two computers and shelves full of files and other devices.  
The third room had a small office and another oak door which led into a bigger room. The small anteroom with the office showed clear signs of a heavy fight. Furniture was smashed, dark spots on the floor, walls and pieces of furniture hinted at pools of blood. But there were no bodies. Kyu stood in the room for a while and stared at the door to the bigger room. Her face had a strange expression and Junmyeon’s breath was shaking. “Kyu?”   
They both stepped into the bigger room behind the oak door. Junmyeon muffled his scream with his hand, he dropped the gun and turned away. He felt sick and stumbled backwards. He had never seen anything like that before. Three bodies had been left in the room, one had been chained to the chair behind the desk. The other one was lying on the floor, his hands and legs tied up as well and another one was sitting at the sofa to the left, he was the only one who had not been tied up. His arms lay oddly, palms facing upwards by his thighs. The once white coloured walls was stained with blood almost black by now. Behind the large desk someone had written surely enough with blood a message:

“If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”

Kyu examined the bodies. “Huh”, she made. “Looks like the last ones murdered them and escaped. I think they controlled the entire camp for a while before they finally killed them”, she said. “How do you know?” Junmyeon asked, still shaking. Cold sweat rolling down his temples.  
“Come on, you’re a scientist. The state of their bodies, they were killed not too long ago otherwise their bodies would be farther decomposed, but the wounds are partly healed. So they were tortured and held captive for a long time. He over there represents the one who controlled the camp and made orders, that’s why he’s chained to the chair. He’s been tortured the same way we were. The man on the floor represents the guards who threw us to the floor if we did not obey”, Kyu said.   
“And the man on the sofa? Why is he not tied up?” Junmyeon asked. “Look at his face. It was not necessary to tie him up”, Kyu said and turned around when Junmyeon said nothing. She looked surprised to see how badly it had affected Junmyeon. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the doorframe. “They injected him several drugs, I guess”, Kyu said. At that Junmyeon turned his head. “Drugs?”   
Kyu nodded. “Yeah, but not the modern stuff that we got later. They injected him poison that caused hallucinations and great pain”, Kyu said. Junmyeon looked at the writing on the wall. “That’s Shakespeare”, he said. Kyu turned around and tilted her head.   
“I know that it seems like it but we were not always chained up and experimented on. We had a routine, there were many check-ups and many experiments, but we received full education and had proper rooms where we slept in. We had free time and we had teachers that taught us the same any child living in the city would have learnt. When a child showed special skills in a certain area it would receive proper and more intensive training”, Kyu said. Junmyeon frowned.   
“Unfortunately, we had many fall outs with our teachers”. Kyu turned around and went to the desk. She opened the drawers but they had been emptied except for old paper and pens. “If you want me to examine you, can we – maybe – go somewhere else?” Junmyeon pressed out. Kyu looked up and nodded. She stopped in front of the storage room. 

“There could be some more information on their research in here”, she said and the two went inside. Kyu leaned over the computer and Junmyeon pulled out the files that consisted of paper files as well as CDs for the computer and while he was rummaging through the files looking for something relevant. He opened a large file with print-outs about annual costs. The pages fell open on a certain page and Junmyeon’s heart rate sped up again. Someone had put a tiny little square between the pages. It was very thin and looked like a case for microchips. Junmyeon took it out and slid it into his pocket and closed the book. He put it back on the shelves.   
“Okay, got it”, Kyu said and Junmyeon turned around quickly. But Kyu had not noticed that Junmyeon had found something. Junmyeon stepped next to her and saw that she had opened several files on the computer. “This is the research done on our brains”, she said. “The drugs should have been downstairs in the doctor’s room but there were none. I guess, they were either destroyed or taken away”, Kyu said. “I have a bit left, if you need to you can have a look at them”, she said. Junmyeon nodded while he read through the brief report. It was very short, too short.   
Kyu took out a small leather case and pulled out five small syringes. “I need to do a MRI on you”, Junmyeon said when he had finished reading. He took one of the syringes, inside was a clear liquid. “There used to be one in the basement but it looks like it doesn’t work anymore”, Kyu said. “I need to have a look at all the equipment”, Junmyeon said and Kyu nodded.  
They went back downstairs where Kenta had already started the search for Junmyeon’s grandfather. The girl was still with him and her fingers were moving fast over the keyboard. “I’m looking up information on the city and on the other camps. It looks like the connection to the other camps and the city has stopped quite a while ago. The information is probably a few months old now but better than nothing”, she said. Kyu nodded. 

Kyu and Junmyeon went back into the doctor’s room and Kyu broke open the door to another room where some equipment was stored. “I can work with this”, Junmyeon murmured and picked up pieces here and there. “Okay, we won’t be able to do a full examination but I think enough to get clear answers”, Junmyeon said.   
They spoke little while Junmyeon set up the tests and got her ready. Despite Kyu saying that she trusted him enough, she seemed uneasy to do the tests. But she was determined to get answers and she kept repeating that. "Well, I'm note sure whether you will like the results", he murmured. "It's not about liking it but knowing the truth", Kyu said sharply while Junmyeon set up the next test.   
The last results and information he had on Kyu from the camp were over 10 years old. When Kyu was lying on the stretcher and the test was running, Junmyeon flipped through the old report. It had been the last examination before Kyu had been transferred to camp 1. It was the report to prove that she was now considered safe enough to transfer to camp 1.  
The report did not say much and Junmyeon’s chest felt tight while reading. He quickly closed it when he had finished and put the report away. “I’m checking on Kenta, I’ll be back in a second”, he said quietly. Kyu had her eyes closed and hummed. Junmyeon’s heart was beating fast when he went into the controlling room. He had to make sure the others would not hear them making tests on Kyu but the two were absorbed in their work. Kenta looked up when Junmyeon came inside.

“Where’s Kyu?” he asked. “She is looking something up”, Junmyeon lied.   
“I’ve found your grandfather”, Kenta said. “Really?” Junmyeon asked and his heart skipped a beat.   
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to find a way to contact him ever since”, Kenta said. “It’s hard to build a connection to the city”. Junmyeon looked at the screen but there were only computer codes that did not make any sense to him. “He’s in the city?” he asked.   
“Yes, at least he was two months ago. Well, I don’t think he left since then so it’s safe to assume he is still there”, Kenta said.   
“Tell me when you managed to establish contact”, Junmyeon said. Kenta nodded and looked back at the screen. 

Junmyeon returned to Kyu in the doctor’s room. He wondered how fast Kenta would be able to contact his grandfather. He did three tests with Kyu, then he had to let a computer analyse the results. “It’s best we all get some sleep”, Junmyeon said. Kyu looked exhausted and was unusually quiet, she agreed however. They both went back to the controlling room and told Kenta and the girl to rest a bit, too. Kyu then went outside to get the two guards. Kenta turned to Junmyeon.   
“I managed to contact your grandfather”, he said. Junmyeon whirled around. Kenta smiled. “I send him the message you wanted me to”, Kenta added. “We just need to wait for his response”. Junmyeon smiled at him, his chest clenched. “Thank you, Kenta”, he said quietly. 

The three all laid down and when Kyu returned with the two guards, they also settled down on the floor. Kyu had also brought dusty blankets and sheets she had found. So they could lay on something a bit more comfortable but Junmyeon could not sleep. For the first time, every yellow eyed person fell asleep right away and slept deeply while Junmyeon was wide awake. They did not need much sleep, but since the attack from Jian they had not gotten much sleep. Junmyeon got up an hour later and went back to the computer in the doctor’s room. He drew all the results of Kyu’s tests on a small drive that had been left behind, he also saved every other research data he could find. After two hours he was done and when he returned to the controlling room, he saw that there was a new message on the computer screen. Junmyeon opened it and read the message. It was indeed from his grandfather. Junmyeon looked down at the sleeping four young people and watched Kyu. If they had not been all so exhausted, Junmyeon would have probably never been able to sneak out without them noticing. But he left without them waking up. He filled two bottles with water and took a motorbike that had been left in the camp’s garage. Then he drove off to the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, I'm sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger. Especially something like this.   
> Junmyeon left for the city without them?
> 
> I hope you are still enjoying this story. Please, do let me know what you think~ It always makes me happy to hear your opinions!  
> Thank you so so much for the kudos, I appreciate that a lot!!


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long hiatus but I am back now!  
> also omg this story got featured on kfr (kaisooficrec) on tumblr, huuuuge huge thank you for that!  
> I couldn't believe it!!

They had slept for a night and eaten a bit, after that Kyungsoo felt better. The three who had not wanted to join them had left the same day. They had taken few things with them and had left without another word. The rest had still been discussing without agreement what to do with the remaining guard. He had been handcuffed and guarded overnight.  
Kyungsoo was outside and watched the sunrise when Jongdae came to take him inside.  
“We managed to contact the other camps!” Jongdae said stressed. Every colour drained from Kyungsoo’s face. Jongdae’s tone could not mean anything good and he could only think of Jongin. What if they had failed? What if they had been captured or worse…?

“Well, it’s camp three”, Jongdae said as they rushed into the controlling room. On the screen were familiar faces, they were in a similar controlling room.  
“He’s here. Tell him what happened, Kyu”, Minseok said as he looked over his shoulder to point at Kyungsoo who came inside.  
“I tell you what happened, Kyungsoo”, she said. She was calm but Kyungsoo could see even across the screen that she was really angry. The rest of the group had a similar expression.  
“Wait, where is Junmyeon?” Kyungsoo asked as he scanned the room for his friend. Kyu’s eyes seemed to pierce through him even though she was so far away.  
“I guess, he will be reaching the city soon”, Kyu said. Kyungsoo opened his mouth.  
“Our ticket into the city, right? When we woke up this morning, Junmyeon had already left. Oh and he deleted every bit of research that had been saved on the camp’s main computer”, Kyu said.  
Her voice was now shaking with anger, she seemed to be close to losing control. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
“I don’t understand. Why would he do that? Have you contacted his grandfather?” he asked. “We did”, Kyu said and now her face changed.  
“Well, Kenta here did. I should have been with them when they did so. I would have known immediately that he would betray us”, Kyu hissed.  
“Betray? Why?” Kyungsoo called. Kyu stepped closer. “He would not stay on our side knowing that I am going to kill his grandfather with my own hands”, she said.  
Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?” he asked quietly. Kyu’s eyes looked almost mad with fury. “He is responsible for us. His grandfather was the scientist who decided to pair designer children. He was the one who made us. He created the project, he is the head of the scientist team. He is responsible for everything we were put through”, Kyu said roughly. “When you told me his grandfather was a scientist, you both seemed to have forgotten to tell me what kind of scientist he is”. 

Kyungsoo shook his head, his body suddenly seemed too heavy for his legs to hold. “I – I had no idea. I swear – if I had known…”, Kyungsoo whispered.  
“He will reach the city in roughly two days and alert everyone there”, Minseok said. Kyungsoo leaned against the wall. “Not if you stop him. Camp one is the closest to the city, he should pass by the road leading to the city near you tomorrow morning”, Kyu said.  
Kyungsoo had his hand pressed to his mouth, his thoughts were racing. Nothing made sense. Junmyeon had been the one to rescue Jongin with him. If it had not been for him, Kyungsoo wouldn’t even have known how badly Jongin had been treated. He would not have reacted in time. But when they had been at the camp, there had been times when Junmyeon had behaved strangely and had said things… 

“Did he say anything to you, Kyu?” Kyungsoo asked. Kyu frowned. “If you mean whether he warned me that he would leave us behind and betray us like that, no”, she said coolly. “What do we do now?” Jongdae asked. “We’re not going to stop him, we’re following him”, Minseok said. “We need to get into the city, not all of us at once. But as soon as we have one of us in there, it will be easier to get the rest into the city”.  
Kyu nodded. “I’d say only those who will finish of the Feng group main members should go. Once it’s done, it will be easier anyways for the rest to come into the city”, Kyu said. No one looked like they wanted to agree, everyone here wanted their personal revenge on their tormentors.  
“Have you heard from camp two?” Kyungsoo threw in then. Kyu frowned.  
“No, we’ve only managed to contact you. Camp three was completely abandoned when we arrived. But camp two should be still up and running. I’ve been trying to hack into their security system but no luck so far”, Kenta said. Kyungsoo’s hands tensed. “That’s not good. They should be there already”, he murmured.  
“We can try it from our side, too. Camp one has better technology”, one of the boys who had been at camp one said. “Good. We’re taking off then to join you. If you manage to tail Junmyeon or contact camp two, send us a message”, Kyu said. “How?” Jongdae asked. Kenta held up a small device. “Here, I found this and repaired it. You can call us or text us, if you use this number”, Kenta said and gave them through a number.  
“Shouldn’t we note it down?” Kyungsoo murmured. Minseok tapped his temples. “I can remember it just fine”, he said. “Good, see you”. The connection was cut off and everyone exchanged looks.  
“I’ll try to hack into camp two’s system”, the boy who had offered to hack into camp two's security system said. “What’s your name?” Jongdae asked. The boy grinned at him. “Giang”, he said. “Alright then, Giang. We’re counting on you”, Jongdae said.

The rest assembled to discuss who would set out to follow Junmyeon and how they would manage to get into the city with him. They soon had worked out a plan that Kyungsoo did not like at all.  
“He will only trust you”, Minseok said. Kyungsoo looked down. “I know, but I’m not so sure whether he actually will put his trust in anyone”. Jongdae grabbed his arm.  
“You’re our last chance. All of us who are purists here are registered citizens and we’re probably on a wanted list. I would not entrust the remaining guard here with such a mission”, Jongdae said. “We can only rely on you”.  
Kyungsoo bit his lip. “Well, at least now you won’t have to lie”, Giang said. He stepped into the cafeteria. Everyone got to their feet. “What do you mean?” Kyungsoo called.  
“I hacked into the security cameras at camp two”, Giang said. Everyone rushed over into the controlling room and Kyungsoo felt as if every bit of energy and feeling left his body. He felt very cold inside.  
“Contact Kyu’s team. They better go over to camp two to take care of that. I will join Junmyeon and go into the city”, Kyungsoo said. Then he turned around to get ready.  
He was in the training room where most of the weapons were stored, he knew that he was probably not allowed any weapons into the city but maybe he could smuggle in a few knives or a hand gun. He was just picking his weapons when someone came into the room.  
“Kyungsoo?” He did not turn around, but Jongdae stepped next to him. “Are you okay?” he asked. Kyungsoo chose two knives and a gun, he wrapped them in a cloth.  
“Yeah, sure”, he said. Jongdae touched his arm carefully. “Minseok – uh, he told me that you were close with Jongin. You helped Jongin escape, right?” Jongdae said. Kyungsoo turned towards Jongdae and straight faced said: “I’m fine”. Jongdae’s face softened. “I know what it’s like…”, he whispered.  
He shortly looked over his shoulder but they were alone. “I kept telling myself that Minseok could never feel anything for me but I –“, Jongdae started.  
“Well, it’s different with me and Jongin. I’m not in love with him and Jongin is very different from Minseok”, Kyungsoo interrupted him. Jongdae opened his mouth.  
“I’m going to get ready”, Kyungsoo said abruptly and left the room.  
He went to take a shower, he hated the camp and the dark rooms but at least there were proper showers there. At the shelter they could only splash themselves with a bit of water. He put on fresh clothes. They had found them in the upper levels where the leader of the camp had lived. The clothes were looking similar to the clothes the people at Kyungsoo’s hometown had worn. But these clothes were certainly more expensive and of higher quality. He put the knives into leather pockets, one of the boys from the camp had made them for belts. Kyungsoo had made an improvised ankle holster himself and fastened his gun there. When he went back into the cafeteria, no one looked at him strangely or asked him anything. For once Kyungsoo was glad that most of the people here could not fully understand how a normal human brain functioned.  
“Kyu’s team will reach camp two soon”, Jongdae said when Kyungsoo joined them. “I think I will leave tonight, it will be more convincing if I meet Junmyeon in the desert than waiting for him and following him”, Kyungsoo said. They agreed and after a quick meal, Kyungsoo left for a short nap although he did not sleep. 

Whenever he closed his eyes he saw the scenes at camp two. He thought that if Junmyeon had seen what was going on there, he would have reconsidered leaving them behind. He kept trying to blame Junmyeon so it would be easier but all Kyungsoo really wanted to do was to forget about following Junmyeon and drive to camp two instead. If they brought down the Feng group what guarantee was there that all this would stop? How much power did this group have? Weren't they just the ones funding the project?  
Kyungsoo felt like no one had a real plan concerning the time after the Feng group had been eliminated. Overthrowing the government, letting the citizens know what its government had been doing all these years and creating new rules. It all sounded so vague and most of all, unrealistic. But they didn't even have a proper plan on how to find the Feng group, for now they were just a faceless group of very rich people.  
When he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, he dreamt of Jongin. They were walking through high grass, the air was comfortably warm. Nothing like the desert heat. Jongin was talking and he smiled at Kyungsoo, Jongin’s eyes were of a warm brown. But then suddenly he stopped and his smile faded. Kyungsoo wanted to ask what was wrong but no sound came from his mouth. And suddenly Jongin’s eyes turned bright yellow, his pupils narrowed into a vertical shape and the grass started to wrap itself around Jongin’s arms and legs. He stumbled backwards and fell, Kyungsoo stormed over and pulled his knife to cut Jongin loose. But whenever he had cut through the grass, new grass shot from the ground and wrapped itself around Jongin. The grass was cutting into Jongin’s skin and he started screaming. “I can help you”, a voice said and it was Sarah, the girl who had been with them at the shelter. She was carrying a long sword. “I can cut him free”. Jongin screamed louder and just as her sword swished down, Kyungsoo sat up.  
Sweat was running down his spine and he was shaking. Sarah had not been in Kyu’s team when they had communicated via the computer. But Kyungsoo had been pretty sure that she would have joined Kyu’s team. Jongin had warned him that Sarah was dangerous. Kyungsoo got up and took another shower to wash off the sweat but mostly he just hoped he could wash away that odd dream. He could not eat anything and so he just got ready.

It was dark outside and when he passed the cafeteria he could see that some of the group were still awake. “I’m leaving”, Kyungsoo said. Minseok looked up and carefully turned around. He nodded at Kyungsoo. A girl from the camp was sitting at the table working on a small device, similar to the one Kenta had shown them. One of the boys from the shelter was asleep, his head resting on the table. Jongdae was also sleeping, he was lying on the hard bench. His head however was on Minseok’s thigh. Kyungsoo thought of their short conversation earlier and wondered what had happened between Jongdae and Minseok and whether they had talked. Minseok knew that Jongdae had freed him because he was in love with him. Minseok moved carefully as if not to wake up Jongdae and Kyungsoo’s chest felt tight. He wondered if Minseok was able to feel anything akin to love for Jongdae. He half hoped that the two could make it out alive and got a chance to find out but he also envied them. Kyungsoo had never minded being alone, he had never been interested in love or relationships. But Jongin had become important to him and so had Junmyeon. But one of them had betrayed them and Jongin… it was so very different what he felt for Jongin. But now...  
Kyungsoo’s hand clenched when he thought of the short clip they had seen of camp two.

He took a jeep and drove off. He did not look back and was glad he had not said goodbye. Somehow the uncertainty of whether he would see them again filled him with a strange feeling. He knew the way to the city, Jongdae had shown it to him on maps and on a hologram. The said hologram device was now next to the steering wheel and showed Kyungsoo the way he had to take. His hands held the steering wheel firmly and he was driving probably faster than he had to.  
Early morning passed and so did noon, but Kyungsoo did not encounter Junmyeon. He wondered whether he had missed him or was ahead of him or whether someone had attacked him on his way. The sun was already setting when the horizon showed a different scenery. A gigantic grey wall was rising up into the sky. With the city so close Kyungsoo decided to take a break and wait. He could not arrive before Junmyeon so he had to wait for him. And so Kyungsoo waited for the rest of the day and the entire night but Junmyeon did not turn up. The surroundings were rather flat and even if Junmyeon had taken a different road Kyungsoo would have seen him at least in the distance. But it seemed like Kyungsoo was entirely alone. There was just the desert and the high grey wall in the distance. The next day Kyungsoo decided to continue his journey to the city, it was no good waiting around anymore. He could not turn back either. He had no idea what to do when he arrived at the city. He had no plan of getting in, he could only lie and claim that he wanted to see Junmyeon's grandfather. But that would pose a rather weak attempt of getting into the city.  
Kyungsoo felt uneasy, it took him longer to get to the high wall than he had thought it would. He reached the wall of the city just as it got dark, he stopped at the gate. There were cameras on top of the huge closed gate and light was shone into the jeep.  
“Identify yourself”, an electronical voice said. Kyungsoo’s breath was going fast, he couldn't think. What should he do now? What if Junmyeon had not made it into the city?  
“Do Kyungsoo”, he said and narrowed his eyes when the light shone directly into his eyes.  
“Eye scan complete. Identity scan complete. Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Status: missing”, the electronical voice said. “Access: denied. No official permission to enter the city. If you have a special permission to enter the city, please provide it now”, the electronical voice said. Kyungsoo’s heart was racing, he could only go with their original idea of seeing Junmyeon's grandfather. “I was invited by Kim Junmyeon and Dr Kim senior”, he said loudly. There was a moment of silence and then a rumbling sound. The gate opened.  
Kyungsoo's mouth opened. Could this really have worked out?  
“Entry granted. Welcome, Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo. Please register at the city hall, we hope you have a pleasant stay”, the electronical voice said and Kyungsoo drove through the gate. He could not believe that it had worked. But why? Why had it worked?

He drove through the gate and gasped. The city was lying before him, glowing in the night. It was gigantic, houses were reaching far up into the sky. The windows were glistening with light, there was a large river that was rolling through the city and its riverside was speckled with lights. The river led directly – into the sea. Kyungsoo was on top of a hill overlooking the city otherwise he would not have been able to see the sea. On the hill was nothing but a big house. He stopped his jeep in front of it and got out. Now he could see that a cliff was still separating him from the city. He walked towards the house and at the entry someone was already waiting for him.  
“Junmyeon!”

Junmyeon looked different. He wore different clothes, they looked like a uniform and his hair had been cut, his face was washed and clean.  
“Kyungsoo”, he said. “What happened? How did you know I would come?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon smiled. “Oh, I had asked to be informed about everyone trying to enter the city. I told them to inform me, should you turn up alone”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo frowned. “Let’s go inside”, Junmyeon said and turned around. The glass doors of the house slid open. Kyungsoo stepped inside the cool house, there was a wide hall and something like a reception. A young woman was standing there behind the desk, she smiled at them. “Good evening, Dr Kim”, she said and bowed her head. “Welcome, Lieutenant Do. We need to register you, if you please place your hands here”, she said and Kyungsoo put his hands on two square shaped scanners. He noticed that a glass wall was separating him from the woman. “Now look here please”, she said and something in the shape of a fist sized ball zoomed at his face. “What is that?” Kyungsoo asked. “It will scan your eyes”, the lady said with a smile. “What is the purpose of your visit?” the lady asked.  
“He is my guest”, Junmyeon said. “Certainly”, the lady said and typed something into her computer. “Please, go to the decontamination room to your left. The elevator will take you into the city. Good evening”, the lady said and bowed her head again.  
“Decontamination room?” Kyungsoo asked as Junmyeon walked ahead. “They scan you when you enter the city. As a security measurement you will be decontaminated from radiation and any other possible infections”, Junmyeon said. “Don’t worry. It feels like a nice shower”, he said with a smile. Kyungsoo nodded and they both stepped through another door. Junmyeon showed him where to go and told him he would be waiting on the other side.  
Kyungsoo walked into a small cool chamber. An electronical voice instructed him to take off his clothes and Kyungsoo hesitated. If he took off his clothes, he would reveal his weapons. Kyungsoo bit his lip and took the knives and the gun out, holding them in his hands he put the clothes into the niche where he was instructed to put them. He placed his weapons on the floor. Junmyeon had been right, it felt like a nice shower. His clothes had disappeared by the time the shower had stopped. Instead a fluffy towel and fresh clothes appeared, a plain shirt and trousers as well as underwear. But his weapons were still there to Kyungsoo’s relief. Kyungsoo took the fresh clothes and fastened his weapons at his new belt and his gun in the back of his trousers as the ankle holster had fallen apart from the shower. He stepped out of the chamber where Junmyeon was waiting for him. 

Junmyeon was smiling and Kyungsoo was now surer than when he had been let into the city that he could no longer trust Junmyeon. “Sir”. Another man stepped next to Junmyeon, he was wearing a white uniform and a golden emblem was embroidered on his chest. “Sergeant Choi”, the man in the white uniform introduced himself.  
“I’m afraid I have to confiscate your weapons”, the man said. Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed. “Relax, Kyungsoo. He’s from the police, it is standard procedure to take away your weapons. You will get them back in a few days, once they have approved of your status”, Junmyeon said.  
Kyungsoo pulled out his gun and his knives with hesitation and handed them over. The police sergeant took them and handed him a small card. “You will receive notice from us when you may pick up your weapons. Please bring this card with you”, Sergeant Choi said. Kyungsoo nodded and put the card into his pocket.  
The Sergeant bowed his head and walked away. They were standing in a large hall that was nicely decorated. White columns were holding the high ceiling, beautiful lamps filled the hall with golden light. The walls were of a soft golden colour, paintings were decorating the walls. “Off into the city then”, Junmyeon said.  
“Are you not going to ask why I came alone?” Kyungsoo asked as they walked through the hall. Junmyeon’s smile disappeared. He stopped at the end of the hall and pressed a button next to a glass door. “Well, you came alone that means you are not here to kill anyone. They would not have sent you”, Junmyeon said. And Kyungsoo realised the glass door was actually the door to an elevator. With a ping the doors opened and they stepped inside.  
“How can you be sure?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon looked at him seriously. “I heard rumours about camp two”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo’s hands clenched but he had to stick to the plan. Instead of asking Junmyeon why he had not helped or used his apparently newly found influence to stop it, he looked through the glass at the city.  
“The rumours are true. The group could not manage to gain control of camp two. Many of them were killed, the rest is now imprisoned there”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon cleared his throat. “I thought, the only reason that you would be here instead of rushing over to camp two…”, Junmyeon started. Kyungsoo’s shoulders tensed.  
“I’m sorry”, Junmyeon said quietly and he actually sounded as if he was really sorry. And that was what bugged Kyungsoo the most. Had he still had his knife he would have stabbed Junmyeon on the spot. How could he be sorry if he hadn't done anything to help those at camp two? Why did he not rush over to help?  
But Kyungsoo took a deep breath and calmed himself, he had to pay close attention to the way they took and work on a plan on how to get someone into the city who was not allowed to. 

*

The elevator stopped and they stepped out into a fresh breeze. It was comfortably warm and there was no sand that got in one’s eye with every gust of wind. Kyungsoo had only seen pictures of big cities and how they had looked like before the war. But this city was even more beautiful.  
Lampions and street lamps brightened the night and the ground was plastered with stone shaped in pretty hexagons. The streets were lined with palm trees and the square that Junmyeon and Kyungsoo stepped out onto had a nice fountain in the middle, benches were put around the square. People were sitting there, chatting and laughing. Some people were walking over the square, enjoying the night. “We’re taking the car to my grandfather’s house”, Junmyeon said. “You can stay there for now”. Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon. “Really? Is that okay? I mean he doesn’t even know me”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon flashed him a smile. “I could take you there and he wouldn’t even notice, the house is so big”, Junmyeon said.  
He turned around and crossed the square and walked towards the street leading ahead. With his back turned to Kyungsoo he could not see how Kyungsoo frowned. The small car that was waiting for them was nothing like the military jeeps. It was a glossy midnight blue and the doors opened and closed smoothly on their own. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo got inside. The seats were very soft and the inside was cool and elegant. “Good evening, Dr Kim”, a voice said. Kyungsoo flinched but there was no one sitting at the driver’s seat, in fact there was no driver’s seat at all. There was just a long instrument panel. “To Dr Kim senior’s home, please. House on the hill to the sea”, Junmyeon said clearly.  
“Understood. Enjoy your ride”, the electronical voice said.  
They drove through the streets and Kyungsoo could not help but stare out the window trying to take everything in. The houses had not been that high near the square, higher than any house Kyungsoo was used to but the really high buildings were lying ahead of them, in the middle of the city. They drove past many stores that were all open and bright lights were shining onto the street. People were going in and out of the stores, they were all wearing colourful clothes. The chattering and laughter were hardly audible from inside the car, it blocked out most of the sound from the street. “I would tell you what all this is, but I have no clue myself”, Junmyeon said then. Kyungsoo shortly looked at him.  
“You kind of gave me the impression as if you knew the way around rather well”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon laughed a bit. “Well, it is the same way I took when I arrived and to be honest I was told exactly where to go and where to expect the car”, Junmyeon confessed.  
They drove for about 20 minutes and reached an area where the houses were farther apart from each other and bigger. They drove up a slight slope which Kyungsoo hardly noticed until they stopped and he saw that they had a great view onto the dark ocean and the city behind them. Junmyeon had been right, the house was huge. It was snow white and a large garden was surrounding the house as well as a little square in front of the house. The two got out of the car and a man wearing a dark green uniform bowed to welcome them. He leaned over to the car and touched the instrumental panel with a little black device.  
“Payment successful. Thank you for riding with us today. Good evening!” the electronical voice said and the car drove away. “The master is awaiting you”, the man in the green uniform said. The man in the dark green uniform led them into the house through a big entrance hall and large doors to the right into what looked like a living room. An old man was sitting on a white sofa, he was wearing the same midnight blue clothes as Junmyeon. “Master, your grandson and his friend”, the man in the green uniform said. He bowed and went outside. Junmyeon’s grandfather closed the book he had been reading and looked up. Kyungsoo was startled to see so much of a resemblance between Junmyeon and his grandfather.  
“Good evening”, he said. Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “Good evening, sir. I’m Do Kyungsoo”, he said. “Lieutenant from what I have heard”, Junmyeon’s grandfather said. Kyungsoo slightly bowed his head. “Well, since I have left my hometown I am not sure whether I can still call myself Lieutenant”, Kyungsoo said. The man laughed. “You went on a big adventure with my grandson”, he said. “Have a seat, you two”, he added.  
They had just sat down on the other sofa when the doors opened and two other men came inside carrying trays. They were also wearing green uniforms and Kyungsoo thought they were most likely domestic staff. They put down three cups of steaming tea and three glasses and a huge jug of water. “We will have dinner in an hour or so”, Dr Kim said as he leaned forward and took his cup of tea. Kyungsoo took a glass of water but Junmyeon followed his grandfather and took the tea.

“So Junmyeon only arrived a day before you. He has already told me that he followed my wish and became a scientist but the old town was only a cage. I am glad you two could leave it behind. They only hold back people who are of higher intelligence. I was surprised to hear that you came across an Aureum Luscus”, Dr Kim started. “A what?” Kyungsoo asked. His head was spinning, he could not understand any of this. They had not simply walked out of their hometown, they had freed Jongin and had ran away. Kyungsoo had killed a soldier. So far he had expected to be arrested on the spot should his past be revealed. He had somehow not thought that the people in the city would find out or know who he was. But since they did know... why had he not been arrested yet?  
“A mutated young man with golden eyes that resemble those of a cat. We call that an Aureum Luscus”, Dr Kim said. “Oh, right”, Kyungsoo murmured. Dr Kim crossed his legs and leaned back. “Junmyeon said that you have had a lot of contact with them after you left your hometown”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo shortly looked at Junmyeon, he wasn’t sure how much Junmyeon had told him and whether he had been entirely honest. Maybe they didn't know under what circumstances they had left their hometown...

“Well, yeah. We stayed with a group of them for a while”, Kyungsoo said. “Yes, yes. There had been a rumour that some of them had started living together after running away”, Dr Kim said and sipped on his tea. “You don’t sound like you believe that is actually possible”, Kyungsoo said carefully. Dr Kim smiled and put his cup into the saucer.  
“You see, Lieutenant, I know them. They are not able to live in a society like ours, so they had to be trained. I have to admit my own failure in many cases that we were unable to train”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo had a hard time to keep calm, his fingers held onto the glass tightly and he was surprised the glass hadn’t burst. He suppressed the urge to throw the glass at the man sitting in front of him. Here he was sitting in his clean and nice living room, sipping tea and talking about them as if they were only going through a mildly exhausting sports programme. Kyungsoo forced down a gulp of water and nearly choked. At least through his coughing he could cover his anger.  
“You mean their tendency to violence and lack of understanding for human emotion?” Kyungsoo asked when he had stopped coughing. “It is not the lack of understanding for human emotion, we taught them everything there is to know about human emotion. The problem was that they could not feel those emotions themselves. At least the first 10 children were absolutely unable to. As soon as we noticed this mistake, we tried to fix this with the next generation. I would say we were only partly successful, these children did still have a tendency for violence but I would call that an expression of their immense strength and lack of control over it. Over the years they learnt to handle it”, Dr Kim said. “You disagree?” he asked. “Please, describe what they are like. I am most curious to hear how you experienced them”, Dr Kim asked.  
Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon who had the same fixed smile on his face. “They are very intelligent, it was sometimes hard to follow their conversations and way of thinking. Most of them are very strong but not all of them. I have met a few who are rather timid and quiet”, Kyungsoo said.

Dr Kim’s eyes glowed with greed, he was sliding to the edge of the sofa. “But Dr Kim, from what I heard you were the one who started the programme, shouldn’t you already know what they are like?” Kyungsoo asked. The man shoved his glasses a bit higher and his lips twitched into a smile. “One has to listen to all the different opinions, I cannot rely on my own experiences alone”, he said. Dr Kim was so focused on Kyungsoo otherwise he would have seen how Junmyeon’s smile had slid of his face. “Still you are convinced that they are cruel and unfit for society”, Kyungsoo said. “Unless they let their – ah – disorder be treated properly. There is a way to control their violent side and they can take the hormones they are lacking. Of course, they are more of an imitation of a human than an actual human being”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo had to put the glass down his hands were shaking too much with anger. He wasn't sure for how long he would be able to contain himself anymore.

“There were mutated people who were not cruel and did not constantly beat everyone up. They were not violent and they had made friends”, Kyungsoo said. Dr Kim smiled.  
“Are you sure? As you said yourself they are very intelligent and they have a comprehensive knowledge about the human nature. Thus it is easy to manipulate people into trusting them and believing them. But they themselves do not believe in things like friendship or love. Their brains have a defect, they cannot produce hormones such as serotonin and oxytocin. Alexithymia is a rare occurrence but all of the first ten Aureum Luscus were diagnosed with it. Statistically speaking this was impossible but we could not find any other explanation”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo frowned. “Dr Kim, why exactly are you telling me all of this?” he asked. Dr Kim smiled.  
“I hope you will join my team, like Junmyeon did. Of course, Junmyeon is a brain scientist, so he is incredibly valuable for me. But your experience with the mutations is also valuable data, especially since you are not in the position of a guard. You spent time with them in a different context so your observations are important”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say no but changed his mind in the last second. “N-okay”, he said. If he joined the team, they might trust him enough so he would get back his own weapons and maybe get new ones. He would also be able to move freely in the city without being suspected if they counted him on their side. That would make it easier for him to send a message back to Minseok and Kyu and help them into the city.

“Fantastic! Junmyeon here had not been too sure whether you would actually want to join”, Dr Kim said and clapped his hands together. “Well, I – I have taken an interest in the – uh – Aureum Luscus”, Kyungsoo said. Dr Kim smiled brightly. “Yes, Junmyeon told me you were interested. But after you took the Aureum Luscus with you when you left the city, I was sure you would want to join. After all, our work will provide a cure for them. We are helping those mutations. We are doing something good, Lieutenant Do”, Dr Kim said. He shook Kyungsoo’s hand and Kyungsoo forced himself to smile although he felt sick. He had heard similar words before. Back then he had been told they were doing something good for humanity if they caught a mutation, so they could cure diseases.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to finally introduce the city to you.  
> Please, do ask me questions about the city or anything you want to know more about!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.  
> Thank you for leaving kudos, I appreciate all of your feedback so much!!!


	7. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short bonus chapter. Enjoy!  
> A longer update with the usual length will come soon.

His chest felt like it was being crushed down by something heavy, his mouth was dry. He suppressed the immediate reaction of wanting to gasp for air. He only opened his eyes a smidge. He couldn’t open his left eye much further, it was swollen and felt hot. There was a throbbing pain in his head.  
It was dark but he could see the outline and shapes of a room. A familiar room. He held his breath to listen whether someone else was there but he was alone. However he knew better than to sit up and let them know he was awake. He tried to move his legs and arms but they wouldn’t obey. He peered down his body and saw that his arms had been fixed on the bed he was lying on. His legs were free but still were not obeying him. He could not see his legs properly without sitting up but from the terrible pain he guessed that his left shin was broken. His right thigh felt as if it had been shot.

“Number 26. Awake”, a voice suddenly sounded through the room.

His body tensed up. No. No, they had noticed. His breath hitched and he tried to ready himself to defend himself. The lights went on but no one came in. Instead there was an odd sound and a funny smell before he knew better to hold his breath, he had already fallen unconscious.

He awoke, lying on a hard surface. His legs and arms were fixed onto the surface but the pain from earlier had eased. He looked down, this time he lifted his head. They already had him here there was no reason to play unconscious. He had been right, his left leg was broken and there was a wound on his right tight. Both legs had been treated and maybe they had also injected him pain killers because the head ache was gone. Tubes were attached to his arms but nothing was pumped through them.

“Number 26”, the voice said again. “Kim Jongin”.  
He turned his head. A young woman was standing behind him, she know stepped next to him. He had never seen her before and the room looked unfamiliar too. But he could guess from the equipment that it was an examination room. It looked similar to the room where they had done the experiments back when he had been at the camp. The camp…

“Ah yes, we renewed everything a bit. Looks different now, does it?” she said with a smile. Jongin did not respond. Her smile widened but her eyes hardened. She lifted her hand and Jongin saw a little device in her hands, she pressed a button on it and a picture was projected into the air right in front of them. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. Jongin stared at the picture. It was a small village in the middle of the desert. Mud-walled houses stood next to each other, in the middle was a stone well. But the stones had toppled down as if something had crashed into it. The village looked deserted and abandoned.  
“Do you know this village?” she asked. Jongin did not respond. “Ah, I asked you a question. I expect you to answer and to answer the truth”, she said. Jongin only stared at the picture. The woman kept smiling, she was one of the scientist team, Jongin guessed. She was wearing that white coat and she had that odd way of talking.  
“Let’s try that again. Do you know this village?” she asked. Jongin heard the dangerous undertone in her voice, he could also hear the soft wheezing sound of the hologram, the picture was flickering slightly and it caused Jongin new headaches. She stepped closer and he could feel her body warmth, it stood out to the cold surface he was lying on. She was breathing a bit faster than a human usually did, she was agitated but was trying to hide it. There was a clicking sound and Jongin winced. He looked down and saw that through one of the tubes a dark liquid was pumped into his veins. He started to feel sluggish, it felt like he was so tired he would fall asleep any second.  
“Do you know that village?” she asked again. Her voice was muffled. Jongin looked back at the picture and it started moving. He closed his eyes because he felt nauseous from it.

_When he opened his eyes again, they were burning. His skin felt itchy and was hurting all over. Sand was blowing into his face. He was lying on sandy ground when he lifted his head a little. He felt like he had used up every bit of energy inside him. He was lying in the desert.  
There was a voice, the voice of a little girl. Was he hallucinating? She was singing and then suddenly she appeared right in front of him. She stared at him and then came closer. She squatted down and poked his shoulder. Then she turned around abruptly and called out for someone. Everything went black and when he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a different ground. It was a colourful fabric and there were quiet voices._

 

 _“- we cannot keep him”_  
– _“He’s a stranger” – “It’s just a boy!”_  
 _– “What was he doing then alone in the desert?” – “Did you see his eyes? How strange…”_  
 _– “He might be from a different place and has travelled alone” – “Don’t be stupid”._

 _Jongin closed his eyes again. When he opened them again he heard the same girl singing. She was jumping through the room and tried to jump into square boxes that had been drawn to the floor. She turned her head when she heard him sitting up. She smiled at him. “Hello. Mama! The man woke up!” she called._  
_A woman appeared, her arms full of something Jongin had never seen before. It could have been a plant or food. “It’s alright there. We picked you up in the desert. You look starved, have dinner with us”, she said. Her voice was deep and full. They settled down in the same room he was lying. They sat on the floor which had been laid out with colourful fabric that felt hard to the touch but not uncomfortable. A low table was in the middle of them, an elderly man was already sitting there. “Do you have a name, boy?” he asked. He had a strange way of speaking, almost as if he was only imitating someone. “Jongin”, he said out loud._  
 _“So you do speak the language, huh?” the woman said. Jongin looked at her. She pursed her lips. “I thought you were from abroad”, she said then and sat down. “You have funny eyes”, the girl called. “Don’t be rude!” the man scolded the girl. She pouted. “But she’s right. I have never seen someone with eyes like yours”, the woman said carefully._  
 _Jongin looked down, he spoke no more. But he accepted the meal served in a bowl that seemed to have been made from clay or something similar. “Are you going to stay with us?” the girl asked then. The elderly man huffed. “Ah, he cannot contribute. You gotta earn your place here”, he said. “Do you know anything useful, boy?” he asked._  
 _Jongin looked up. “Hunting”, he said. The woman laughed and the elderly man grunted. “There is nothing to hunt here, didn’t you notice? We’re in the middle of a desert”, she said. “There is always something”, Jongin said. The elderly man frowned. “Prove yourself”, he demanded._

Suddenly the room seemed to disintegrate and vanish. Another room drifted into his view, it was darker and his body felt tight and heavy.  
“Do you know this village?” a voice asked. “Is this the village you stayed after you ran away from this camp?” the voice asked again. His body felt hot as if he had really lain in the desert, starved and thirsty for weeks. He had almost died in the desert then… he had ran and ran. He had done well the first few weeks, he had been lucky. His stamina had let him go for a long time without food or water. He had then found a little oasis but then he had gotten unlucky. He had went a week without anything to eat or drink when he had fainted and the girl had found him. They had taken him in and let him stay at the village after he had taught them how to find small desert animals and hunt them. He taught them how to prepare and cook them.  
“Answer!” this time her voice was very sharp. Jongin remained silent. But the next second a sizzling pain shot through his body. “I said, answer” the scientist hissed. Jongin was breathing heavily now. The pain in his legs and head returned. The heavy feeling of something pushing his chest down also came back.  
“Yes”, he whispered. His voice was hoarse. “Good”, the scientist said. “What happened there? Did you kill all those people?” she asked. The picture flickered and changed. Jongin stared at the dead bodies and the blood that was splashed over the mud-walled houses.

He felt how the thick liquid was being pushed into his system once more and the room dissolved. _He was sitting again in the desert heat. His head was wrapped in a shawl to protect his face from the sun and the sand. He was standing still, pressed into the corner of the house. The shouts were echoing across the little village. The elderly man whom he had lived with for the past year was kneeling right next to the village well. A man was standing behind him. His arms were bare and tanned. His arms were covered in scars. No, white lines like tattoos were forming patterns like a gigantic complex picture. He was holding a sabre in his hand and then it swished down. Now it was quiet. There were 10 others, females and males. On the body parts, arms and legs or stomach that were bared, white lines covered their skin. They had dragged everyone out of the houses and rummaged through their belongings, looking for valuables and food. Jongin had seen them coming and had hid well in the house. They had not seen him._

The picture dissolved and the cold examination room appeared again. “Did you kill them?” she asked. “No”, Jongin answered quietly. The picture changed.  
“Who is this man?” she asked. Jongin opened his mouth. The brown eyes were staring back at him, unmoving at first but then they blinked.

 _It were only the eyes that he could see of the man. He was wearing a uniform and full equipment, there was even a gun on his hip. It had been a long time since he had seen anyone with weapons. But he was not from the camp. He was wearing different clothes. He looked alert but also excited. The next time the eyes looked at him, it was through a window. The glass made it hard to look through but when he focused he could see him standing there, next to another man. The brown eyes were always fixed on him. He just stood there and looked at him, occasionally he spoke to the man beside him. Sometimes he was alone and then his lips were still moving. But they were moving so slightly it was impossible to tell what he was saying. His voice was gentle and soft. He was surprisingly strong as he pulled him with him._  
_The moments whirled around in his head and suddenly it was terribly cold. But he was leaning against something warm. The coldness of the night was seeping into the jeep and when he turned around Kyungsoo was lying behind him asleep. His body was warm and his breath was slow and steady. The arms that had held him down and had captured him were now lying on his shoulders. He was lying between Kyungsoo’s legs. When the sun rose and the light fell onto Kyungsoo’s face, he scrunched his nose and his eyes slowly opened. He looked back at him. Those eyes looked back at him._  
 _The scene drifted out of focus and back again and then when it formed again, he was still looking into those eyes but it was warm. They were sitting in a tent. He rose his hand and touched Kyungsoo’s face. He was so close, he could feel Kyungsoo’s breath on his face. He was breathing fast. His nose brushed his. “Jongin”._  
The scene disappeared, everything was black. But the voice was still there. Kyungsoo kept saying his name. Jongin wanted to force his eyes open.

Was he there? Did he come? Kyungsoo kept calling him until his voice turned into screaming. Jongin wanted to open his eyes and look for him but he couldn’t. Everything was black. Why was he shouting? Why was he shouting so?

Who? Who was shouting?

His eyes flew open and his body was shaking. Sweat was running down his temples and his forehead, it ran into his hurting eyes. He was breathing fast.  
“Who is this man?” He was not here, was he? Had he really shouted or had that just been another memory he had been forced to remember?  
He turned his head to see whether he was there. But there was no one in the room besides the female scientist and him. Where was he? Where was Kyungsoo? He had gone to a different camp with Minseok and Jongdae and a few others. Had they been captured, too? Was he being questioned?  
“Who is this man?” the scientist asked again. But not as sharply as before, she had noticed how he had started sweating and shifting around restlessly.  
“Who are you looking for?” she asked. Jongin tried to suppress the shaking but the cold surface against his heated body made it worse. The flickering picture of Kyungsoo in front of him was playing tricks on his eyes. The name burst out of him. It was hardly a breathy whisper in panic.  
“Kyungsoo”.  
– “Who?” the scientist asked.

Jongin saw that the liquid was still injected into his veins. It was not the dark liquid but a clear one. Was this causing the sweating and the panic? He could hardly breathe now and his body felt like it was going to fall apart. He felt oddly detached from his body that was lying there, shaking and trembling, screaming Kyungsoo’s name like a mantra to make it all stop. The pain was unbearable and then it stopped.

 

 _“26, pay attention!”_  
_Jongin turned his head. The teacher glared at him but returned to the lesson. The screen at the front showed a scene from a movie. The landscape was so different. Lush trees with white and pink petals, the sky was grey and looked like it was about to rain. Wind was tearing some of the petals down. There were a young man and a woman. They stood close together._  
 _Why would they close their eyes? It was dangerous to show yourself so vulnerable. It was easy to attack and get hurt or die. “What do you think they are feeling right now?” the teacher asked as he paused the movie. He pointed at a young girl. “They are in love”, she said mechanically. “We already know that. Be a bit more precise”, the teacher said._  
 _“They are in love with each other that is why they met up and stand close together”, the girl replied. The teacher looked exasperated._  
 _“What does being love feel like? What does it to the body?” Was it the teacher that had asked or someone in the class?_  
 _“Warm… you feel warm”, someone replied._

Warm?

“My face is warm?”  
Whose voice was that?  
“No, your eyes”  
He’s breathing out, it sounded like a laughter.

_Jongin blinked. The classroom returned back in focus and his teacher was talking. “Your heart rate goes up and you feel insecure yet happy at the same time. You are constantly thinking about that person”, he said. “Why are we learning that? Why would I want to feel that?” someone asked. “I thought we cannot feel like that!”  
– “That’s not true…”, the teacher replied. _

There was a sound, beeping. It did not belong into this memory. It was steady. Jongin opened his eyes. He was no longer in the examination room, he was lying in the dark room again. He wasn’t sure whether his body had been fixed to the bed or he could simply not move out of his own accord anymore. His body was numb, he felt nothing anymore. At first he thought it was sweat that dripped down his temples into his hair but it were tears. He closed his eyes. Why would anyone want to feel that? Vulnerable. Wasn’t that dangerous?  
He recalled Kyungsoo when they had said goodbye. Kyungsoo had wanted to be on his team but Kyu had insisted that he went with Minseok and Jongdae. Kyungsoo had asked him in what he believed if he didn’t believe in promises.

_\- „And if we survive this, I promise I will prove you that you are human in every way. Once you have the chance to live a normal life, you will see that you are human“._

That had been a promise… How strange. How strange it was when he recalled that moment because then he had - for a moment - believed in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some memories from Jongin's past after he escaped from camp 2 and also a scene from when he was still at the camp.  
> I got some very concerned messages about Jongin. So I hope this little bonus chapter clears up that he is indeed still alive. I actually wanted to keep that uncertain for a bit, but oh well...


	8. Seven

"We are doing something good, Lieutenant Do”, Dr Kim said.   
He shook Kyungsoo’s hand and Kyungsoo forced himself to smile although he felt sick. He had heard similar words before. Back then he had been told they were doing something good for humanity if they caught a mutation, so they could cure diseases.   
“I’m sure dinner will be ready in a bit. Junmyeon, why don’t you take your friend upstairs to his room”, Dr Kim said. “Sure”, Junmyeon said and got up. They left the room wordlessly and Junmyeon led the way up the stairs. The walls were white upstairs as well but with golden paint, there had been drawn fine ornaments onto the walls in regular distances.   
Kyungsoo’s room was the fourth door to the left. “My room is right next to yours”, Junmyeon said and pointed to the last door of the corridor. Kyungsoo opened the door and they walked inside. The room was as big as Kyungsoo’s entire apartment back in his hometown. The bed was so big it could probably fit three people. There were big windows to each side of the bed, curtains blocked the view from outside.   
“This is the bathroom”, Junmyeon said and pointed to a door to the left. “Over there is a wardrobe. You joined the team so my grandfather will provide you with proper clothes, don’t worry. He’ll fill the wardrobe for you. But since it is a proper job, you will be paid and you can go and buy your own clothes for your free time”, Junmyeon said. Then they were both quiet for a bit and Kyungsoo pulled the curtains to the side. He could see the ocean from his window. It was only recognisable in the darkness because of the many lights at the beach.  
“Junmyeon”, Kyungsoo said. “Yes?” Junmyeon sounded nervous. Kyungsoo let the curtain fall back into place and turned around.   
“Why did you leave your team behind?” Kyungsoo asked. “Well, I did what I was told to do”, Junmyeon said. But he did not sound as confident as he had before and the annoying fake smile was gone too. Kyungsoo frowned. “You were told to –“, Kyungsoo started when he noticed that Junmyeon was shaking his head. Barely noticeable but he did in fact, turn his head slightly. Kyungsoo interrupted himself. “Who told you that my grandfather started the experiments?” Junmyeon asked. Kyungsoo crossed his arms.   
“We found out while searching for the contact details. They recognised his picture”, Kyungsoo said. “I was surprised why your grandfather said nothing about the camps”, he added. This time it was clear how Junmyeon’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh he did. He said something about training but he probably didn’t know you were already aware that these camps exist. He did not want to scare you off, he knows you’re critical about these methods”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo had already got the hint that they were being observed. After all, he had only arrived today and just joining the team would not buy him unrestricted trust. Maybe Junmyeon was still on his side but could not tell him. But there was no telling whether he could still trust Junmyeon. 

During the next days, Kyungsoo noticed more and more how he was under constant surveillance. No matter where he went the damn electronic voice seemed to follow him and despite the estate being huge, Kyungsoo was not allowed to leave just yet and he felt caged in. Junmyeon was working day and night on something that Kyungsoo was not allowed to know. And Junmyeon did not tell him but it seemed to have fogged his mind into forgetting why they had come into the city.  
Kyungsoo was desperate for news from camp two and the others. He did not know how to contact anyone or how to get information on what was going on. All he knew was that the group that had headed for camp two had failed to take over the camp, there had been a massive fight which had still been on going when they had managed to hack into their cameras. The team that had been at camp three, including Kyu, had said they would take off to take care of the situation there. But what if they had failed, too? What if Kyu had decided otherwise and they had abandoned everyone at camp two?  
And how on earth should Kyungsoo smuggle anyone into the city? He had no contact with them anyways so he didn’t know how he could tell them anything.   
On Kyungsoo’s third day – he just came back from his walk through the garden – a group of men in grey suits with briefcases were standing in the hall. Eric, one of the house staff, was talking to them. “Okay, thank you. See you next time”, Eric just said. The men bowed goodbye and took off.   
“Who were those people?” Kyungsoo asked. Eric turned around and smiled widely. “Kyungsoo! I mean – uh – Lieutenant Do”, Eric said and quickly corrected himself. Kyungsoo suppressed a smile. He knew that the rules for house staff were really strict and Eric could get fired for addressing guests improperly.   
“They were from RDT”, Eric said. “Reusable and recyclable devices and technology. It’s also a department at the university. They collect old devices like mobile phones, hologram devices and such and take them apart. They use the parts to build new models or create new devices. Our resources are limited so recycling is essential to our city”, Eric explained when he saw Kyungsoo’s puzzled face. “That – sounds really cool”, Kyungsoo said. Eric laughed. “I’m sure you can go and check out their work”, Eric said.   
Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder and sighed. “I doubt it. I’m not allowed to leave the house”, Kyungsoo murmured.   
“Excuse me, but I am sure you spend the entire morning outside of the house”, Eric said. Kyungsoo chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. I mean I am not allowed to go into the city to explore”, Kyungsoo said. Eric looked startled.   
“Who said that?” – “Me”.   
They flinched as the door to the right opened and Dr Kim came out of his living room.   
“But we can change that very soon”, Dr Kim said. Another man appeared behind him. He was wearing a black suit which looked rather strange on him. Kyungsoo had never seen anyone wearing a proper black suit in real life. “This is my good friend, Dr Nakamura”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo nodded at him. Dr Nakamura had white hair and many wrinkles around his eyes but he looked friendly. “Kyungsoo, please come inside. He wants to get to know you”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo looked surprised at Dr Kim. “Me?”  
Dr Kim beckoned him inside and Kyungsoo followed the two into the living room. They sat down, both of the doctors sat on the long sofa, Dr Kim had sat on his first day as well. Kyungsoo took the comfortable chair facing them. 

“Lieutenant, before you join the team I want to have a little chat with you”, Dr Nakamura said. Kyungsoo looked at Dr Kim. “You’ve been through a lot and you will be asked to tell us in detail about the occurrences”, Dr Nakamura said. “This chat today is to make sure you are stable enough to talk about it and give us objective and good information on the mutations”, he continued. Kyungsoo frowned. “Excuse me?” he asked.  
Dr Nakamura crossed his legs and folded his hands. “Lieutenant, you shot a solider in your hometown and you have seen many other cruel murders since then”, he said. Kyungsoo took a deep breath and almost laughed. “So that’s what this is about. Are you going to arrest me?” Kyungsoo asked. But the doctors looked seriously at him. “He was assisting murder. He was holding down Jo- the boy we had previously captured so he could be shot. I had to shoot the soldier to prevent the boy from being killed”, Kyungsoo called. Dr Nakamura’s expression had not changed, he was still calm and serious. “I am not asking you to justify what you did. I want to know how you feel about it”, Dr Nakamura said. “How I feel about it?” Kyungsoo asked, staring at him.   
“You said he was assisting murder. So you think, he deserved to die? You feel no regrets?” Dr Nakamura asked. Kyungsoo started at him.   
“No, he did not deserve to die. He was following orders because he believed in the same lies we had been told by our captain. He thought he was doing the right thing, he had no idea that he was doing the opposite. And no, I regret every day that I had to shoot him. For weeks I kept seeing his face in my dreams and I won’t ever forget his face until I die”, Kyungsoo said through clenched teeth. Dr Nakamura nodded. “Do you still have nightmares?” Dr Nakamura asked.   
Yes, but not about the soldier. Nightmares full of Jongin being tortured and possibly murdered in camp two.  
“No”, Kyungsoo said out loud. “Good. I think we will have another little session next week”, Dr Nakamura said. Dr Kim smiled and clapped his hands. “Fantastic”. 

They got up and Kyungsoo hesitated. “Dr Kim, you said earlier we might change that I cannot leave the house”, Kyungsoo said. “I think it is a good idea for you to leave the house and explore the city. You should make new friends and get the experience of a normal life”, Dr Nakamura said. Dr Kim did not look as if he fully agreed but he forced a smile.   
“Dr Nakamura is the competent doctor in that matter”, he said. Dr Nakamura and Dr Kim shook hands and Dr Nakamura left. 

“Kyungsoo, if you leave the house you have to make sure to always take a taxi to the city and on your way back”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo looked at him in surprise.   
“Don’t worry. I’ll come up for the travelling expenses”, he said and handed Kyungsoo a small card. “You can pay with that card anywhere. Your monthly income will be on that card as well so make sure you don’t lose it”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo nodded and took it. Dr Kim patted Kyungsoo’s shoulder and left for his office upstairs.

“Going out?” Kyungsoo turned around and found Eric coming into the entrance hall carrying a large tray. Kyungsoo nodded. “I am finally allowed to”, he said. Eric smiled.   
“That’s nice. Have fun then”, he said. Kyungsoo smiled and left.

The drive into the city was great, when he had arrived at the city, it had been dark but now in daylight he could see the size of the city properly. He let himself being driven around for a while and then got out at a random street in the middle of the city. He walked around, taking in the different shapes and sizes of the houses. Some reached high into the sky, others stood close together like they hunched over to tell each other secrets. There were all kinds of shops, for clothes, electronic devices, restaurants and cafés. When Kyungsoo came out of a narrow street, he stepped into a surprisingly open area. There was a large park with green trees and the broad river was dividing the park into two. And right behind the park, a large snow white building rose into the sky. There were silver facades made of steel or similar which gleamed in the afternoon sun. It was rather hot today but Kyungsoo who was used to greater heat found it rather okay. But whenever he listened into conversations of the people surrounding him, they were all complaining about the heat.  
Kyungsoo crossed the road and headed straight for the park. Groups of people his age were sitting under the trees or on the grass. Kyungsoo followed the stream for a bit until he reached a quieter area without any people. He had just sat down and relaxed his shoulders when something ran past him. With a gigantic splash it jumped into the river. At first Kyungsoo thought it had been an animal, especially when a tall young man came running after that something.   
“Baekhyun! Are you insane?!” he shouted. Baekhyun turned out to be a boy who broke through the river’s surface with a spluttering laughter. He could have been the same age as the man calling for him or way younger. It was hard to guess his age. “It was way too hot, Chanyeol. Don’t make such a face! You should get in, too”, Baekhyun laughed.   
“Get out this instant! You know it is forbidden to bathe in the river”, Chanyeol said through clenched teeth. Baekhyun sighed and climbed out of the river. “Do you always have to get yourself into trouble?” Chanyeol asked exasperated. Baekhyun flung his arms around Chanyeol’s mid and pulled him into a tight hug. Chanyeol groaned. “No, you’ll get my clothes wet! Let go, let go. Stop, stop it!” Chanyeol called. He stumbled backwards and they fell onto the grass. Only then Baekhyun noticed Kyungsoo watching them. He flashed a cheeky grin at Kyungsoo.   
“Hi”, he said. Chanyeol turned his head and immediately got up, brushing grass off his clothes. “Good afternoon”, Chanyeol said, his cheeks very red. Kyungsoo grinned.  
“I’m not from the security, I’m not going to arrest you for jumping into the river”, Kyungsoo said. Chanyeol coughed. “Didn’t think so. Are you a student as well? Are you new? I haven’t seen you around until now”, Baekhyun said and came over to sit down next to Kyungsoo. “Student?” Kyungsoo asked. “At the university” Baekhyun said and pointed at the white building across the park. “Oh. No, I am working here. In the city I mean”, Kyungsoo said. “But you’re right, I am new here”, he added.  
“Where are you from then? Are you from the outskirts of the city?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo smiled a bit unsure. “Uh no. I am from a town outside of the city”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “You’re from outside the city?” he asked and clapped his hands over his mouth. “Man, it’s always been a dream of mine to leave the city and explore the world. You have to tell me everything!” Baekhyun said. Chanyeol nudged him into the side. “Don’t be rude, Baekhyun!” he hissed. Kyungsoo smiled. “It’s alright. I am just as curious about the city”, he said. “But I would only disappoint you if I told you about my hometown”, Kyungsoo said. “I doubt it!” Baekhyun said.  
“Okay, how about this. You tell me everything about your hometown and we show you around the city?” he said then. Kyungsoo nodded. “Sounds perfect. Oh by the way, I am Kyungsoo”, he introduced himself. “Baekhyun and this giraffe is Chanyeol”, Baekhyun said. “What did you call me?” Chanyeol called and grabbed Baekhyun by his neck.   
Kyungsoo laughed. “Are you guys students here then?” he asked. Chanyeol let go of Baekhyun. “Yeah. I am a major in RDT”, Chanyeol said. “And this little plague here studies geography”. Baekhyun grinned. “Well now I get why you are so interested in the world outside of the city”, Kyungsoo said. “I used to draw maps of the surroundings of my hometown”, he said. Baekhyun made big eyes. “Wow, can I see those maps?” he asked. Kyungsoo looked away. “I had to leave them behind…” – “Oh”. Baekhyun looked disappointed.   
“Do you miss your hometown?” Baekhyun asked. Kyungsoo shook his head. “No, there is not much there to miss. It is a town in the desert. It is so hot that it is actually forbidden to go outside during the day”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun opened his mouth. “What? Hotter than it is today?” Chanyeol asked. Kyungsoo laughed. “I thought the weather is really nice today. It was really unbearable back at my hometown”. 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun invited Kyungsoo to have dinner with them and took him to their favourite restaurant. It was a pretty small and narrow noodle soup shop. They were friends with the owner, she was an old lady with a round face. “You brought a friend?” she called. She had a very heavy accent that Kyungsoo had never heard before.   
“Yep. We’re showing him around, he’s new. So obviously we have to show him the best restaurant of the city”, Baekhyun said with a broad smile. “Oh you!” she said and laughed a bit. She clapped Baekhyun’s arm. Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “He does that all the time so he’ll get something for free”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun stuck out his tongue. But Kyungsoo could understand why Baekhyun got his noodle soup for free and easily persuaded the lady to give Kyungsoo’s first dish for free as well.  
Baekhyun knew how to use his disarming smile, he had charms and used them. He was easy going and talked with everyone. Chanyeol seemed to be running after him doing his best to get Baekhyun out of trouble. And Baekhyun got into trouble quite a lot. After two cups of alcohol, Chanyeol had loosened up a bit too and told him the craziest stories about Baekhyun. Baekhyun didn’t seem to have a high tolerance and giggled at anything Chanyeol said.   
“He is the worst! Once I had to pick him up from the police station because he had danced naked in the fountain in front of the university building”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun laughed. “It was a bet, but you got so mad”, Baekhyun said laughing. He almost lost his balance on the wooden stool but Chanyeol who seemed to have a second nature for taking care of his chaotic friend had already reached out his arm to catch him. Baekhyun half laughed and groaned as he leaned against Chanyeol’s chest.   
“We should go to a bar after this. Maybe we can go dancing”, he murmured. “Yeah right”, Chanyeol said sarcastically. “Sorry, I hope you don’t have the worst image of Baekhyun now”, Chanyeol apologised half an hour later when they left the shop. Kyungsoo shook his head laughing. 

He had had a great evening and for the first time this week he had been able to relax a bit and forget about his constant worries. “Let’s meet up again”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun who was on Chanyeol’s back because he could no longer walk started singing. Chanyeol sighed. “Right. Just give me your phone number and I’ll text you”, Chanyeol said. “Oh, I don’t have a phone – yet”, Kyungsoo said. “Well, okay. Uh how about meeting on Sunday? We’ve got lectures tomorrow”, Chanyeol said. “Good, in the afternoon? 2 PM?” They agreed on a place and time and Chanyeol walked off carrying Baekhyun on his back.

Kyungsoo called a taxi and on his way back to the manor, he was shocked to catch himself crying. He got out of the taxi and sat down near the cliff. It was already dark and the lights of the city were blossoming in the wide black darkness underneath him. He had never had a day like this before. He had never been in a city and walked around to explore it to his heart’s desire, he had never met random people and had become friends with them. He had never heard about stories such as Chanyeol had told him. He had never had a friendship like the one Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared. They had never seen the desert, the death, the grief, the golden eyes of a young man who was supposed to die. They had never killed someone.

*

Kyungsoo hardly saw Junmyeon anymore but with everyday it seemed like Junmyeon, the scientist, who had wanted to save an innocent boy had disappeared. Everything Junmyeon cared about was the project they were working on and Kyungsoo knew it had something to do with the Aureum Luscus. But Junmyeon said nothing about helping camp two, he said nothing about Kyu’s plans. He had never supported her plans to begin with but he had agreed that the way the mutated people had been treated had been wrong. He had wanted to do something against it, but he did nothing. 

 

September 2088

It had been a little over a week since Kyungsoo had arrived in the city. He did not want to think about what had happened in the meantime at camp two. He did not know whether they were all now locked away or whether they were still fighting or whether the worst case had happened and most of them were dead.  
Chanyeol asking him about his phone number had reminded him that Kenta had given him a number to contact – a number for a mobile phone. But Kyungsoo had no phone and even if he was allowed one, they would immediately know when he contacted Kenta. What Kyungsoo needed was what the RDT called an ‘unregistered device’, any electronic device had to be registered. No one seemed to think much of it but that way it was easy to control and monitor the movement of each citizen.   
But Kyungsoo knew that Chanyeol could get him an unregistered device. The problem was that he could not possibly ask Chanyeol to make him one. Chanyeol who constantly had to get Baekhyun out of trouble knew the strict laws of the city very well and it was against the law to make an unregistered device and use it. Especially since Kyungsoo wanted to use it to contact a rebellious group that intended to murder people. Kyungsoo had not been able to find out anything about the so called Feng group but he knew that Kyu would want to kill Dr Kim. And that was most likely the reason that Junmyeon had decided against helping them all. He knew that Baekhyun would help him, even without knowing Kyungsoo’s real intention. Baekhyun liked a good adventure and did not care about laws or rules. And Chanyeol would do anything for Baekhyun, so as long as he had Baekhyun on his side, he could be sure of Chanyeol’s help. Kyungsoo hated the idea of using his new friends. And anything they had told him which turned out to be relevant information for Kyungsoo made him feel bad. Baekhyun’s studies and active nightlife experiences came in handy because he knew the city like no one else. As a geography student, he knew how the city had been built and constructed. He even had a broad knowledge about the security system of the city as he had gotten in conflict with the law many times before. 

“I’ve tried leaving the city a couple of times”, Baekhyun confessed to Kyungsoo when they were meeting again. It was their third trip through the city but this time Chanyeol had brought his girlfriend along. Baekhyun took advantage of that and used Chanyeol’s distraction to tell Kyungsoo about his secret plans and past actions that would get him into real trouble if he was found out. “Wait, is it forbidden to leave the city?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun tilted his head. “Well, if you have permission to leave and enter… otherwise I would say it is more or less forbidden”, Baekhyun said and sighed. “They say it is to protect us against the dangers out there”.   
Kyungsoo looked away. “Well, they’re right about that”, he murmured. Baekhyun looked at him with a strange seriousness. “I made it outside twice. I know that it is dangerous, even though I didn’t get to see much of the outside world. I went to – to see someone”, Baekhyun muttered. “To see someone?” Kyungsoo asked surprised.   
“A friend. He works for the government and left a couple of years ago. We grew up together, the three of us. Chanyeol, Jongdae and me”, Baekhyun told him. Kyungsoo almost tripped, he managed to cover his shocked face by pretending to wipe the sweat from his forehead. His heart was racing, could it be that Baekhyun meant the same Jongdae, he knew?  
“Yeah, but it didn’t work out after all. Well, I got out just fine because I escaped during a festival”, Baekhyun said. “A festival?” Kyungsoo asked carefully.  
“Yeah, whenever there is a festival, everyone is obviously a bit distracted. And they focus their security more on the area of the festival. My cousin works for the wall security. When you came into the city you may have seen her hologram”, Baekhyun told him. “Her hologram?” Kyungsoo asked. He tried his best to hide his excitement about that information. “Yeah, the ladies at the entrance are all just holograms, to ensure their safety their actual work place is somewhere else. Did you not notice? They are pretty easy to trick when you know how the holograms work”, Baekhyun said. “Really? I was under the impression they do a very thorough check on you when you try to get in”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun hummed. “Well, not if you leave the city. All you really need is a get a bug into the system that disrupts the holograms for a few seconds while you sneak out. I had help getting back into the city”, Baekhyun said. “Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo guessed.   
Baekhyun shook his head. “Jongdae. He has a pretty high position, so he got into the city with no trouble and took me with him. He was pretty mad at me for trying to visit him like that. But he promised not to tell Chanyeol”, Baekhyun said. “Well then you have my promise, too. I won’t tell Chanyeol”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun smiled at him, not the usual cheeky grin but a genuine grateful smile. Baekhyun touched Kyungsoo’s hand and Kyungsoo suddenly felt a strange nervousness creeping up inside him.   
“What are you guys staying behind for?” Chanyeol was standing in front of them. “Uh nothing, you were running ahead with your long giraffe legs. And we did not want to disturb you and your lovely girlfriend”, Baekhyun said immediately. He managed to slip back into his usual cheeky self without problems. Chanyeol grimaced.   
“We wanted to spend the day together. So hurry up now”, Chanyeol said and grabbed Baekhyun’s arm to drag him ahead. Kyungsoo jogged behind them and joined them at the promenade. The air was fresh and salty, a strong breeze ruffled their hair. 

“The view is lovely, isn’t it?” Chanyeol’s girlfriend said. “Yeah, it truly is. It’s my first time being so close to the ocean”, Kyungsoo said. “Really? Let’s get closer then”, Baekhyun called and took Kyungsoo’s arm. He climbed over the railing and slid down the wall until he landed on the sandy beach. “You know there are stairs over there?” Kyungsoo called down. “Takes too long!” Baekhyun called up and Kyungsoo laughed and easily jumped over the railing. “Wow, you’re really athletic”, Baekhyun said impressed when Kyungsoo landed next to him. Chanyeol shot them a rather nasty look. “Hurry, before Chanyeol comes for us”, Baekhyun called and ran ahead.   
Kyungsoo however slowed down, he took off his shoes and socks. It was a wonderful feeling, the sand between his toes and hearing the waves rushing forth and back. He had to take a deep breath as he felt overwhelmed with feelings once again. “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo opened his eyes and saw Baekhyun’s concerned face next to him. “What? Yeah, sure. It’s just… it’s my first time seeing the ocean”, Kyungsoo said. “Do you want to put your feet into the waves? It feels amazing”, Baekhyun said happily. He took Kyungsoo’s hand and went closer to the waves. “You shouldn’t go inside!” Chanyeol had caught up with them. His girlfriend was not at his side and she was not at the promenade. “Where did your girlfriend go?” Kyungsoo asked looking around.   
“Let’s get back to the promenade before we get into trouble”, Chanyeol said. “Is it forbidden to go into the ocean?” Kyungsoo asked worried. “No, it isn’t”, Baekhyun said and pulled his arm free. He looked angry. “Stop dragging me around like that”, he called at Chanyeol. “It is jellyfish season and I don’t want you to get stung!” Chanyeol said angrily back. Baekhyun looked confused for a moment, then he looked around. “Where is she?” – “Who?” Chanyeol asked.  
Kyungsoo wondered how he could get away as quick as possible. Somehow the atmosphere had gotten very awkward. The more and closer he had gotten with Baekhyun and Chanyeol he had noticed how much the two were fighting over the most stupid things. And even though Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had gotten along so well at first, somehow Chanyeol’s attitude towards him had shifted. “Your girlfriend!” Baekhyun called. Chanyeol shrugged. “She met a friend of hers. They went ahead to the café”.

When they went back up to the promenade, they spotted her with another girl who was wearing a bright yellow dress and a broad sun hat. “Maybe you can make a new friend, Kyungsoo”, Baekhyun said with a grin. “Or well maybe more than a friend. I’ve heard that Michelle is single”, he added. “Ah”, Kyungsoo made. Baekhyun looked like he was fighting with himself then it burst out of him. “Ha! I knew it”, he called. “Sorry?” Kyungsoo asked. “You’re not into girls, right?” Baekhyun asked.  
“What? I –“, Kyungsoo started. “It’s alright. Maybe your hometown made a big deal out of this, but it is totally fine here. There are actually pretty cool places around here to meet someone, you should have told me sooner. If you want to check out some places, I’ll take you there. There are a few crappy ones, so just let me know if you want to go, I know the good ones”, Baekhyun babbled. Kyungsoo forced a smile. “Okay”, he murmured to make Baekhyun happy. And indeed Baekhyun looked satisfied but Chanyeol for some reason looked rather disgruntled.   
“Well, then I have the great job of breaking to the girls that there will be no date”, he said and took off. Kyungsoo felt himself getting hot in the face. “No, I –“, he started but Chanyeol had already walked away. Baekhyun grabbed his arm. “You don’t have to be embarrassed”, Baekhyun said and smiled at him. “Chanyeol doesn’t seem to – uhm – like that”, Kyungsoo said vaguely. Baekhyun laughed. “He’s probably just worried that his only friend will suddenly ditch him”, Baekhyun said and waved his hand.   
Kyungsoo said nothing but from that moment on he felt like he had played his chance on getting Chanyeol to make an unregistered device for him. He thought he was probably only imagining things but sometimes it felt like Chanyeol was staring at him with a rather hostile look in his eyes. 

“Will there be a festival anytime soon?” Kyungsoo asked on their way home. “A festival?” Baekhyun asked. “Oh you know, I really want to see one. It must be an amazing event”, Kyungsoo quickly added. “There is one at the end of the week”, Chanyeol said abruptly.  
“Ah that’s just the end of the semester celebration. Kyungsoo means a big one, like New Year or the Spring festival or city foundation day”, Baekhyun said. “Well, the next big festival is in a month. That would be the Welcoming of Winter”, Chanyeol said. “Alright, but I’d also like to go to the semester party if I can come”, Kyungsoo said so it would not sound too suspicious. “Sure!” Baekhyun called. Chanyeol said nothing. 

*

Jongdae’s eyes flew open. Sweat was rolling down his forehead and he could feel his clothes clinging uncomfortably sticky to his body. The anxiety and panic of his nightmare was still holding onto his body. He felt tense and cranky. When he sat up he saw that Minseok was watching him. Jongdae avoided looking at Minseok but then had to look up when Minseok shoved a bottle of water across to him. Jongdae took it but he could not open it or drink, he just held it and stared ahead. He was beyond exhausted but every time he closed his eyes those vile and ugly pictures came popping up inside his head. He could not focus on anything else, he could not let go.   
Minseok and Jongdae were sharing a bedroom, there were more than enough for all of them but in order to not be surprised while sleeping, one always had to keep guard. The camp was too big for them to monitor everything and be there quickly enough should they be attacked.   
Minseok’s head whipped around and he was on his feet when the door opened. But it was only Giang.  
“Message from Kyu”, he said. 

The two got up and followed him into the control room. On the screen were Kyu and Kenta. “Kyungsoo made it into the city. We can only guess but Junmyeon probably made it to”, Kyu said. She had a nasty slash across her cheek and her lips were swollen. “We cannot hack into the city’s security system. It is a closed system”, Kenta said. “I don’t want to try again, they would notice and grow suspicious”, he continued. “So we have to rely on Kyungsoo to contact us and get us in?” Minseok asked. Kenta nodded.   
“How’s it going at camp two?” Jongdae asked. Kyu looked darkly. “Not well. We had to retreat for now… it seems they’ve killed three during the fights. The rest is locked up and they will probably try to get information out of them”, Kyu said.   
“They expect back-up in about three days from now. It’s not looking to good, we will need a strategy. We are definitely at disadvantage weapon and people wise”, Kenta said.   
“We could try and stop the back-up from reaching you”, Minseok suggested. “If they are using holograms to navigate and try to contact camp two, I might be able to hack into their system and we could listen into them”, Giang said. “Good”, Kyu said. 

They assembled in the cafeteria and discussed on how to stop the back-up from reaching camp two. Once they had worked out a strategy, Minseok and Jongdae went to the storage room to get the needed weapons and utensils. “We might die, you know”, Minseok said just when Jongdae opened the weapon cabinet. Jongdae took out the weapons. “That’s nothing new”, he said. He turned around to put the weapons into a bag. Minseok was looking at him. “You were having nightmares”, Minseok said straightforward. “Happens… so what?” Jongdae said. “You’re scared of killing and dying”, Minseok said. Jongdae looked at him with a hard expression. “Who says that?” he asked coldly.   
“You, when you're sleeping. You don’t want to kill anymore”, Minseok said. “Innocent people”, Jongdae said. “Huh?” Minseok made.   
“I don’t want to kill innocent people”, Jongdae said. Minseok let out a laugh. “Who in this world is innocent?” he asked. Jongdae’s face eased and there was a strange expression instead. “Yeah, right…”, he said. They looked at each other.   
“I’m not making fun of you for that”, Minseok said. “What?” Jongdae asked distracted. When had they gotten so close?   
“That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? You thought I was laughing at you for not wanting to kill”, Minseok said. “No? Tell me… I still cannot understand… how you think”, Minseok said slowly. “What are you thinking right now?” Minseok asked. “Right now?” Jongdae asked.   
Minseok’s yellow eyes were glowing in the dim light. “There is no use in worrying about what I will have to do from now on. I can only think… hope I will be forgiven for what I have done in the past”, Jongdae said. “You – you worry about forgiveness?” Minseok asked. “Now you’re laughing at me”, Jongdae said. Minseok cocked his head. “Well, whose forgiveness would you ask for? You do not believe in God”, Minseok said. “Yours”, Jongdae said quietly. Minseok’s face was unreadable.   
“Are you guys ready?” Giang poked his head through the door and Jongdae grabbed the bag. “Yeah, sure”, he said loudly and left the room. 

The heat of the day was fleeting and cool wind made Jongdae shiver as they stepped out of the camp. Setting up the traps however was exhausting and soon he was sweating despite the coldness of the night. When they walked to their hideouts to wait for the back-up from the city it was completely dark. Jongdae looked up into the sky, the stars were sprinkled over the black sky. It was beautiful and yet, his chest ached at the sight. He jumped when he felt something brushing his arm. Minseok stood next to him. They were waiting together and the sadness that had overcome Jongdae when he had looked into the sky wouldn’t leave him. The sun was rising when they could hear Giang speak to them through their headsets. “They’re coming”.   
They readied themselves in their hideouts watching the street and indeed in the far distance Minseok could make out a convoy of 4 jeeps. “Four”, he whispered. He turned his head and saw that Jongdae had his eyes closed. “Jongdae?”   
Minseok still could not understand Jongdae. Those people were coming to kill them, why would he feel guilty about killing them? Jongdae’s eyes opened but now there was no guilt or hesitation in them. They did not change when the convoy drove right into their traps and the jeeps exploded. When they got up with their guns raised to kill any survivors, Jongdae rushed ahead without fear. The heat of the fire was hitting their faces and mingled with the increasing heat of the day. Jongdae did however not step away from the fire only when Minseok stood next to him and touched his arm as they stared at the wrecks of the jeeps.   
“Successful. Targets eliminated”, Minseok said into the headset. He tapped Jongdae’s arm again and switched off the headset. He leaned a bit closer to Jongdae and said quietly:   
“I forgive you”. Jongdae turned around abruptly but Minseok had already walked away. He didn’t see how tears walled up in Jongdae’s eyes as he watched Minseok’s back walking ahead back to the camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a bit discouraged to be honest after the last chapters, I lost quite a few subscribers and bookmarks. I was unsure whether it's the plot, my writing or because it is a very lengthy story...  
> Please do leave me some feedback, I really want to improve. This story is important to me and I have put a lot of effort into it. So I hope I can write better chapters in the future.


	9. Eight

In the following days, Kyungsoo had another session with Dr Nakamura, who decided that Kyungsoo’s new friends were the best thing that could have happened to him. Dr Kim then announced that Kyungsoo needed no more weekly sessions and could reduce them to monthly sessions. So Kyungsoo could start working the next week by attending the next meeting. 

Kyungsoo also went to visit the university and Dr Kim’s name apparently opened most doors. Kyungsoo was allowed to attend a few lectures and seminars, mostly in geography, history and law. But after the geography lecture with Baekhyun, they sneaked into the basement where the RDT had their rooms. They found Chanyeol, a girl and a guy working in a room. Kyungsoo watched very closely how they took apart the devices and put them back together. To Kyungsoo’s disappointment, there was more to it than just taking the devices apart. Chanyeol was sitting at the computer for over an hour and programmed something. The girl was so open to tell Kyungsoo a bit about the work. She explained a bit about microchips and programmes but Kyungsoo did not understand half of it. Even by watching he could hardly follow.   
Baekhyun who seemed to be a regular guest had sat down at the old sofa and watched Chanyeol work. Baekhyun had pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them, his chin resting on his knees.   
“Maybe we should make you a phone here, it is really annoying, we can never meet up spontaneously”, Baekhyun said when Kyungsoo sat down next to him.   
“You don’t have a phone?” the girl asked. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
“You don’t want one if it’s Baekhyun that will text you at 2 am in the morning”, Chanyeol threw in. Baekhyun grinned and got up. He threw his arms around Chanyeol's shoulders as he leaned onto Chanyeol's broad back. Chanyeol shifted a little and the girl who was working next to him raised her eyebrows a little while hacking her fingerss louder into the keyboard.   
“Come on, Chanyeol. It will be really useful”, he begged.  
“No”, Chanyeol said simply. Kyungsoo’s high feelings immediately inflated. “I am not making an unregistered phone”.   
Baekhyun got up and crossed his arms and sulked. “Boring, well let’s go, Kyungsoo”, he said. This time Kyungsoo was absolutely sure that Chanyeol had shot him a very nasty look as they left.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with Chanyeol” Baekhyun muttered as they had settled down in the park outside. They were sitting at the exact place they had met for the first time.  
“I think he doesn’t particularly like me”, Kyungsoo said and shrugged.   
“Huh? No way, he literally told me he thinks you’re a cool guy”, Baekhyun said and shook his head. Kyungsoo was surprised.  
“Well, maybe he changed his opinion”, he said.   
“Why would he?” Baekhyun asked and leaned back. He stretched and laid down.  
“After you decided I was into boys”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun turned his head.   
“Chanyeol doesn’t have anything against gay people!” he said distraught. “He never had any problems with me or any of our friends”, he said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“You told me you went to see Jongdae outside of the city… Were you and Jongdae -?” he asked. There was a faint blush on Baekhyun’s cheeks.  
“No, we weren’t dating. Jongdae was never interested in me and generally not in boys”, he said.  
“But why did you not tell Chanyeol then that you went to see Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t know. He would get mad at me”.   
Kyungsoo bit his lip. “I think he’s jealous”. Baekhyun looked at him in surprise. “Why would he be?”   
Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “I would not have said I’m into boys”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun opened his mouths. Kyungsoo sighed.   
“But there is someone I – really care about… and he happens to be a boy”, Kyungsoo said and shrugged. “Sometimes it doesn’t really matter”, he added.

Baekhyun gave him an odd look. “Are you – are you implying that Chanyeol is in love with me? No way, no, no. He has a girlfriend”, Baekhyun laughed.  
“Have you never thought about it?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun frowned. “Uh, no. Chanyeol is my best friend, we grew up together… no”, he said and shook his head.   
“Well you grew up with Jongdae as well”, Kyungsoo said. “That’s different”, Baekhyun murmured.   
“Because Jongdae was not interested in you?” Kyungsoo guessed and felt bad immediately after he had said it. Baekhyun looked a bit offended and hurt.  
“Sorry”, Kyungsoo said quickly. “It’s just how it is… how I myself… the guy, I like, he cannot like me back”, he said hesitant.   
“Why not?” Baekhyun asked. He slid a bit closer and Kyungsoo looked at him. “Because he – he”, Kyungsoo started.   
And for the first time he was glad that Chanyeol was coming towards them, walking pretty fast.   
“Hey!” he called. Kyungsoo looked away. “Baekhyun, we had an appointment. I was waiting for you. Hurry up”, Chanyeol said roughly. Baekhyun turned around and looked at Kyungsoo to wave goodbye. “See you at the party then”. Kyungsoo nodded and waved.

Kyungsoo went home and he felt strange inside. It was the first time that he had confessed to someone that he had feelings for Jongin. It had made it real, before that he could have easily pretended that he only cared for him because he felt responsible. He still did not know what happened at camp two after the scenes he had seen. He felt sick thinking of it again. They had Jongin, that was all he knew for sure. He had looked beaten up badly, he had been lying on the ground. Kyungsoo pressed his hand to his mouth. His chest felt tight and hurt as if he had gulped down a handful of thorns.   
That night he dreamt of Jongin again but this time the dream did not end with Jongin dying or being tortured in front of him. He was lying with him in the tent back at the shelter and they were just looking at each other. Jongin had always had the tendency to stare, unaware that it could come across as weird. Jongin had touched his face and whispered: “Warm” over and over again. And just as the dream faded Kyungsoo found the words and courage to say the words he should have said back then. But before he said them, he woke up and his words would not reach Jongin.  
“I won’t let them hurt you again. I’ll come and get you out of there”, Kyungsoo whispered into his too big room. And there was nothing left for him to hope that Jongin was still alive but with every day that passed Kyungsoo felt that the possibility for that to be true was declining.

Kyungsoo went into the city to buy new clothes for the party, he did not really know what to wear but a shop assistant was more than excited to help him find the perfect outfit. In the end Kyungsoo had an entire new outfit. Black trousers and a shirt with a nice print on it, as well as new shoes. Kyungsoo got the new clothes already washed and prepared waiting for him when he arrived back at home. It didn’t take him long to get ready.

“Are you going out?” Eric asked when Kyungsoo came down the stairs. Kyungsoo smiled. “The university party”, he said.   
“You look great”, Eric said. “Thank you!” Kyungsoo said.  
Eric smiled and Kyungsoo got into the taxi. The party had already started and there was a huge crowd at the campus. But it was easy to find Chanyeol, he was simply the tallest and he was standing far away from the crowd. “Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo called as he saw him. Chanyeol turned around.   
“Are you alone here?” Kyungsoo asked looking around for Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s girlfriend.   
“Where is -?” Kyungsoo started. “Baekhyun? He is late”, Chanyeol interrupted him.   
“I was going to ask about your girlfriend”, Kyungsoo said carefully.   
Chanyeol looked surprised for a moment then his expression changed again into a grumpy expression. “She’s no longer my girlfriend”.   
Kyungsoo felt a bit awkward. “Oh… sorry”, he murmured. Chanyeol hummed.  
“Listen, maybe you should tell Baekhyun what you feel”, Kyungsoo said then. Chanyeol had crossed his arms. “Huh?” he asked.   
Kyungsoo sighed. “You don’t have to be worried or jealous of me… I am not interested in Baekhyun and he knows that, too”, Kyungsoo said.  
“What? I’m not – jealous”, Chanyeol called heated.   
“Sorry, I’m late!” Baekhyun came running at them. He stopped out of breath. “Let’s go”, Chanyeol said. 

They walked into the building that had been decorated and Kyungsoo waited until Baekhyun and Chanyeol had gotten a bit of alcohol, then he sneaked off. He took the stairs down into the basement only to find the doors locked. He was just wondering whether there would be an alarm if he broke the door open, when he heard someone coming downstairs. Kyungsoo quickly hushed around the corner and hid behind a locker.  
“Baekhyun, you’re already completely drunk. We’ve been here for hardly 20 minutes, really now!” Chanyeol said upset.   
“I just want to get that phone”, Baekhyun said. “We’re not getting a phone!” Chanyeol called.   
“But Kyungsoo needs the phone”, Baekhyun said.   
“Get a grip, Baekhyun! That guy is only contributing to getting you into more trouble than before!” Chanyeol called. “We’re going back upstairs now!”   
He dragged Baekhyun up again but they were bickering all the way until the bickering turned into a real fight. Kyungsoo had made it back upstairs, just in time to witness their fight. “What’s wrong with you, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun shouted, he sounded close to tears. Chanyeol looked overwhelmed.   
“I – you. I should ask what is wrong with you!” he shot back then.   
The loud music thankfully drowned out most of the ugly words they threw at each other and most of the other students did not pay any attention to their fight. Baekhyun stormed off and Chanyeol stood rooted to the ground with a very strange expression on his face. Kyungsoo wondered whether he should try to find the girl who had been working with Chanyeol and get her to make him an unregistered phone. But he wasn’t sure whether he could trust her. Kyungsoo walked around for a bit, half-heartily trying to find her. In the end he left the building for fresh air and wondered whether he should simply leave. But he needed to find Baekhyun before that, if Chanyeol was no longer there to keep him out of trouble, it would be best if he looked after him and got him home safely. He looked around whether he could find him outside and just as he was giving up, he saw Baekhyun. He was in the park, near the river. 

The lampions were dimly illuminating the park. Kyungsoo quickly walked over to him. If Baekhyun was drunk he might get strange ideas of going swimming again and might drown. But Kyungsoo stopped at the edge of the park, 10 metres away from Baekhyun because he was not alone. Chanyeol was with him. But the two didn't notice Kyungsoo.  
It looked like they had made up but Baekhyun’s face was covered in tears. “Do you like me, Chanyeol?” he asked.   
“Of course, I do. You’re my best friend”, Chanyeol said.   
“No, not like that… I mean like… more than that”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol looked at him and without warning Baekhyun tiptoed and pulled Chanyeol down by his shirt and kissed him. He let go off him just as quickly and stumbled back. He looked as if his own actions had shocked and confused him.  
“Can’t we go back to how it was before?” Baekhyun asked. He was crying again. Chanyeol looked at him and then looked down. “No”, Chanyeol said but he cupped Baekhyun's face to wipe away Baekhyun’s tears and then hugged him.   
Kyungsoo turned around and left them alone.

*

“It is good to see you finding a bit of normality”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo looked at him, he had gotten good as well at faking a smile. It was Kyungsoo’s third week in the city, a Monday, the day before the first meeting. Junmyeon had joined his grandfather for dinner, usually Junmyeon did not appear for mealtimes. Junmyeon had picked up a very strange and uncomfortable manner of speaking and Kyungsoo hardly recognised his friend in that shadow of his former self.  
“What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo asked carefully.   
“Oh, I have heard that you have found new friends and you even attended the semester party from university”, Junmyeon said.   
Kyungsoo did some very quick thinking, he could not risk anyone investigating Baekhyun or Chanyeol. Baekhyun was a troublemaker and Chanyeol’s studies at the RDT could raise anyone’s suspicion.   
“Yeah, they’re great. They’re showing me around or we relax at the beach or go to a restaurant”, Kyungsoo said and shrugged.   
“You also attended a few classes at university?” Junmyeon said.   
“Yeah, well I am living in this city now. I thought it would only be appropriate to learn about it and integrate as well as possible”, Kyungsoo said, hoping to convince Junmyeon. If Junmyeon found out about his visits to the RDT rooms and his hope of stealing an unregistered phone there, his plan was spoilt for ever. And he would lose everyone’s trust.   
“So are you planning to enrol at the university?” Dr Kim asked now.   
“Well, I wouldn’t know which subject to choose. But I want to find something, I need a job. I mean another one, something that keeps me busy during the day”, Kyungsoo said. 

While they continued eating, someone arrived at the house loudly demanding to see Dr Kim. Dr Kim got up and left the dining hall. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon continued eating dinner, but Kyungsoo concentrated on catching a few words of the conversation in the hall.   
“It is terrible, Dr Kim. We have to do something about it... lost so many on both sides, we cannot let them continue with that!”   
Junmyeon did not seem to bother, he wasn’t even trying to listen.   
“…definitely one of the original 10 among them, what if she dies?” the man in the hall said upset.   
“Quiet. Into my office now”, Dr Kim said. Kyungsoo was trying to suppress his excitement. Did that mean the fights in camp two were still ongoing? They had been fighting for over two weeks now. Two weeks in which Kyungsoo had not done any workouts or training. He had not gotten back his weapons, instead he had received a note that they were confiscated and locked away. Eric had eventually entrusted to him that no one in the city was allowed to own weapons except for the police. Any possession of weapons lead to a prison sentence of at least 6 months. More than once Kyungsoo had considered going into the kitchen to steal a knife but he had seen the cook actually count his knives every morning and evening.   
How much longer would they last in camp two? And what if Dr Kim send troops of police over to camp two to bring the fight under control? Kyungsoo had to act quickly, he needed to get his hands on a phone and contact Kenta. He sat down in the evening in his room and tried to remember the number Kenta had told them. Minseok had remembered it easily, no one had written it down. Kyungsoo remembered a few digits but not all of them, if he asked Baekhyun, he would tell him how many digits a phone number had, that would help a lot.

On Tuesday, it should have been Kyungsoo’s first meeting but it got cancelled. No doubt because of the riot and fights in camp two but no one said that out loud. Junmyeon had locked himself in his room and Kyungsoo went outside. He went running, down and up the hill. On his way he practised a few punches and kicks. He jogged all the way into the university park where he took a short break at the river. “Kyungsoo!”   
He looked around to see Baekhyun with a side bag walking across the grass. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working today?” Baekhyun called. Kyungsoo smiled and shook his head. “Uh, it was just a meeting and it got cancelled because – my boss was sick”, Kyungsoo lied.   
“Oh. Did you run?” Baekhyun asked looking pointedly at Kyungsoo’s sweaty clothes and his red face.   
“Yeah, I haven’t worked out in a while and thought I could use the opportunity…”, Kyungsoo murmured.   
“You’re crazy! No one goes running in the city, you better train at the fitness centre, they have air conditioning”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo laughed.   
“I’m used to training at higher temperatures. This is okay with me”, he said. He did not tell Baekhyun that if something were to happen, it would surely happen in the city on the streets, not in a comfortably cool fitness centre.   
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look so serious”, Baekhyun said.   
“Yes, uh listen. Where is Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun frowned.   
“He is in a lecture. Why?” he asked and then blushed. “Oh if it’s because of the party. I – uh – haha, I got very drunk, right? I can’t remember too much. I hope you’re not angry because Chanyeol and I both suddenly disappeared”, Baekhyun laughed nervously.   
“I saw you two fighting. Did you make up?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun pressed his lips together and he sat down next to Kyungsoo.   
“We only fought because I was so drunk and said something really stupid. We fight all the time, it’s nothing serious. You don’t have to worry, of course we’re still friends”, Baekhyun said and smiled. Kyungsoo eyed him.   
If it really was that normal, Baekhyun somehow did not look like it. He was not his usual cheery, loud self, he was quiet and lost in thought.   
“Baekhyun”, Kyungsoo said suddenly. “Huh?” Baekhyun looked at him surprised.   
“I have to tell you something. It’s a secret only you will understand”, Kyungsoo said quietly. Baekhyun inched closer.   
“I never got a normal new phone because I need an old one. An unregistered phone”, Kyungsoo whispered.   
Baekhyun’s lips parted but before he could say something Kyungsoo continued. “I need to call someone. I told you about him… but he – he is… you know, he might be in trouble. If I use a registered phone, the police would immediately investigate”, Kyungsoo said quietly.   
“The guy outside of the city? The guy you like?” Baekhyun asked quietly. Kyungsoo nodded.   
“Baekhyun, I don’t want you to get into trouble”, he started. But Baekhyun shook his head. “I’ll help you”, Baekhyun said firmly.   
“This is bigger than any trouble you’ve ever been in”, Kyungsoo said quietly. There was a hint of Baekhyun’s usual cheek glittering in his eyes.   
“I love trouble and a good adventure”, Baekhyun said. 

Baekhyun had instructed him what to do. Kyungsoo had to find an old device and instead of turning it in he had to make sure no one knew there was this old device that should be collected. He needed to bring it to Baekhyun who would convince Chanyeol to turn the device into a phone without informing the RDT. It was Thursday when Kyungsoo got lucky. He heard Eric cursing in the kitchen and when he went to look what was the matter, he saw Eric holding a hologram device.   
“He’ll kill me, he’ll kill me”, Eric whispered frantically.   
“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked. Eric let out a quiet scream and jumped.   
“My heart! Lieutenant, I nearly had a heart attack”, he called. Kyungsoo smiled. “Sorry for that. What happened?” he asked.   
Eric flushed. “The cook gave me a pretty new hologram device because mine was so old it had quite a few bugs. And I needed to do some shopping and synch it with the cook’s hologram for the recipes. There was also a To-do-list on it. Now this just broke down, it is completely – gone. I think I broke it, I don’t know why”, Eric whined.   
“Why don’t you just get a new one?” Kyungsoo asked. Eric stared at him. “They are way too expensive!”   
Kyungsoo blinked. “Oh, I didn’t know. I don’t own one…”, he murmured.   
Eric continued to wail and worry what would happen when the cook found out.   
“Eric, I’ll buy you a new one. I’ll take the broken one and keep it a secret from everyone. You just need to secretly synch the new hologram with the cook’s once again for all the data, right?” Kyungsoo said. Eric stared at Kyungsoo. “But Lieutenant –“, he started.   
Kyungsoo smiled. “It’s all right. You remember most of the things on your To-do-list? Good, I head right into the city and buy a new hologram. You act as if nothing happened”, Kyungsoo said and took the broken hologram.   
His heart was racing, he finally had obtained an old device. He hurried into the city where he searched for Baekhyun for over an hour. He found him eventually in the library, sitting in front of large maps. When he saw Kyungsoo he quickly put them away and they left the library together.   
“Hi, what are you doing here? Were you looking for me?” Baekhyun asked.   
“Yeah, remember when we took a little break at the river last time?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun opened his mouth.   
“Right, right. Let’s go there again, great idea”, he said loudly and they took off. They had reached the park when Baekhyun took down his backpack and took out a packed lunch. “Drop it in there, quick”, he hissed and Kyungsoo leaned in, pretending to look at Baekhyun’s food and dropped the old device into the bag.   
“Looks delicious. Did you make it yourself?” he asked when a group of girls passed them. Baekhyun sighed and closed his bag.   
“No, my aunt made it for me. Want to eat with me?” he asked.   
Kyungsoo was under time pressure but he thought it might look suspicious if he left straight away, so he sat down with Baekhyun for half an hour. Baekhyun told him where he could find a good electronics shop to buy a new hologram. Baekhyun eventually went with him to the shop and only then Kyungsoo realised the flaw in his plan. He had to obviously register the new hologram and should anyone check, they would know that he had Eric’s old one. But it was too late now and there was no reason why anyone would check on Eric’s hologram. 

They took Kyungsoo’s fingerprints and he paid with the card Dr Kim had given to him. The hologram was indeed expensive but when Kyungsoo went to a counter to check his balance, he was glad that Baekhyun was shortly distracted and had not seen the amount on Kyungsoo’s account. Dr Kim had put a very high amount of money onto the card, although Kyungsoo had not yet contributed anything to his study and had not attended the meeting. He wondered how much he would get for actually working for Dr Kim. And suddenly he realised that this could be what had blinded Junmyeon. Junmyeon was one of the main scientists for Dr Kim, he must get an obscene high amount of money. Maybe it was also a way of pressuring or persuading them into working with Dr Kim.   
Kyungsoo brought the hologram back home after saying goodbye to Baekhyun who promised him that he would get his phone to which they referred as little present for his friend’s birthday in case someone overheard them, in about three to four days. Kyungsoo met Eric in the hall but Dr Kim was just talking to him, so he greeted them and went upstairs. He hoped that Eric had not been found out yet and that he kept calm long enough. It was just an hour later when Eric came into Kyungsoo’s room.   
“I’ve brought your laundry, Lieutenant”, Eric said, still standing in the corridor.   
“Thanks”, Kyungsoo said and while Eric carried the basket full of fresh clothes into his room, Kyungsoo dropped the new hologram into the pocket of Eric’s uniform. Eric nodded shortly and left.   
Kyungsoo picked up his clothes and hung them up in his wardrobe. Then he picked up the towels and brought them into the bathroom, just as he was about to store them in the small cupboard in the bathroom, he felt something hard inside the towel. He knew that the bathroom was one of the few rooms in the house that was not monitored with hidden cameras. He unwrapped the towel and his heart skipped a beat. It was a gun. Kyungsoo took a deep breath and looked around. He had to hide it somewhere in his room. Somewhere where no one would think of looking but such a place did not exist in this house.   
Eventually he shoved the gun into his shoes and stored his shoes in his wardrobe as usual. When he went downstairs for dinner, he was nervous. He had no idea how Eric had gotten the gun and what he knew about him. And most importantly, why would he give him a gun?

“Tomorrow will be a meeting, Kyungsoo. It will be a replacement for the last meeting that should have taken place on Tuesday”, Dr Kim said as they had just started eating. Kyungsoo nodded. “Good, I am looking forward to it. I have been waiting for that”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon looked up from his plate.   
“You have?” he asked.   
“Of course, I want to contribute to the cause”, Kyungsoo said. 

*

The meeting was nothing like Kyungsoo had imagined or hoped for it to be. It took place in Dr Kim’s office. There was a group of scientists, 5 including Junmyeon, Dr Kim himself and Kyungsoo. He was sitting at the head of the table and the scientists interviewed him. He was not allowed to ask questions himself and no one told him anything about new results or the secret project Junmyeon was working on. Kyungsoo was not really prejudiced against scientists, but he did not have a high opinion on them either because they were the cause of many cruel experiments. However he had never thought of them as a group of weirdos or strange people like many people at his hometown had. But the group that was taking part in the meeting was just that – strange.   
They all asked questions that seemed to be of utmost importance to them but they still seemed oddly detached from everything. Kyungsoo realised that Junmyeon had come to resemble them a lot. They were all reserved and although they were a group working on the same project, they seemed to stand oddly alone, not taking any notice of the others. They were not taking any notes. Kyungsoo saw that he was being filmed and it made him very uncomfortable. They asked about the time he had spent at the shelter. How they had lived together and in what kind of structure they managed to coexist. What they ate and whether there were any routines. When Kyungsoo told them that a group had prayed everyday they listened up.  
“They were praying?” Dr Kim asked and leaned forward. This seemed to be news to everyone in the room but Junmyeon and Kyungsoo.   
“Yes, 6 or so were praying everyday in the morning and evening. They had different religions as far as I know, but they prayed together. Or well, at least in the same spot and never argued about it”, Kyungsoo said.   
“Could you hear what they were praying for?” one of the scientists asked. Kyungsoo screwed up his face, trying to remember.   
“No, I – I can’t remember”, he said.   
A lot of details had blurred out and often enough he had to answer that he could not remember. Dr Kim ended the meeting an hour later.   
“Kyungsoo, I want you to try your best to remember. We will have another meeting in two days, please write down anything you can remember”, Dr Kim said.   
“Dr Nakamura had told me that you might not be able to recall several details because of the trauma”, he added.   
“I am not traumatised”, Kyungsoo said almost offended. Dr Kim smiled benignly.   
“There are several methods of bringing back your memories”, he said.   
“It’s not entire memories that I have forgotten but small details”, Kyungsoo said annoyed.   
“Correct. But there are methods to make you remember even the smallest detail. You would be able to tell me the exact amount of people at the shelter and what it looked like. You could even tell me the name of the medicine they used”, Dr Kim said.   
“What kind of methods?” Kyungsoo asked ignoring Dr Kim’s interest in the medicine and drugs they had had at the shelter.   
“Drug supported hypnosis for example. Or you could use just the drug. Ah don’t worry, no need to make such a face. It simply enhances your memory abilities. Many students in fact take it for better results at their exams, they should make stricter tests to see if someone took the drug”, Dr Kim added thoughtfully.  
“I’ll think about it”, Kyungsoo murmured.   
He had to be careful when it came to drugs, what if it made him say the truth and he would spill out his plans? He was going to ask Baekhyun whether he had heard of the drug and whether he knew someone who had taken it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go, the chanbaek content no one asked for but I could not resist  
> So... the break for Kyungsoo from all the action is slowly coming to an end...


	10. Nine

The next day he was waiting for Baekhyun in front of the university. He came out with Chanyeol and looked surprised when he saw Kyungsoo waiting for them.  
“Kyungsoo! Hi, how are you?” Baekhyun called. “The present for you friend’s birthday is not yet done”, he muttered as he hugged Kyungsoo. Chanyeol did not look at Kyungsoo with the same anger as he had before.  
“Hi, Kyungsoo”, he said.

They went to the beach and were sitting in the hot sand watching the waves. Kyungsoo noticed that Chanyeol kept looking at Baekhyun who seemed to avoid catching Chanyeol’s eye despite sitting very close to him. “I really don’t know how to ask this”, Kyungsoo started and both of them looked at Kyungsoo.  
“Have you heard of this drug that apparently some students use to get better marks in exams? It enhances the memory abilities or something”, Kyungsoo said. Chanyeol frowned. “What are you trying to say?” Chanyeol asked.  
“I was thinking of taking it and wondered whether it is actually safe”, Kyungsoo murmured.  
“Oh”, Baekhyun laughed. “I thought you were working! What do you need it for?” he asked.  
“A meeting, it’s like an oral exam really. They ask all sorts of stuff and last time I totally messed up”, Kyungsoo sighed. He had thought a story up in advance to make it sound convincing without actually revealing any important information.  
“Oh, sorry to hear that”, Baekhyun murmured. “But I mean you can see it when you took the drug”, he added.  
“But would it do something to my body?” Kyungsoo asked nervously.  
“It is not really harmful and you won’t get addicted to if that’s what you mean”, Chanyeol said.  
“That’s what I meant. No one will care when I take it, a few of them take it as well”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Oh, well then. It’s completely fine to take it”, Baekhyun said.  
“You’ve taken it?” Kyungsoo asked surprised.  
“Sure!” Baekhyun said.  
“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol called. Baekhyun looked at him for the first time.  
“Oh come on now, Chanyeol! You took it as well. I know that for a fact”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol looked disgruntled.  
“Are there any side effects?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“Yeah, but if you don’t take too much it’s rather rare to get side effects. Unless of course you are allergic to some ingredients. But even then it’s nothing really bad. Uh, you might not be able to sleep well, you might feel like everyone around you is super slow and you’re the only one moving in an appropriate tempo. So you might come off as a bit hectic or the exact opposite might happen and you appear very detached from reality. Also your hands can start shaking really badly – but that’s really only if you take that stuff for years and in a high dose”.  
Kyungsoo bit his lip. “Okay, thanks. I’ll think about that”.  
Then he looked at the two and sighed. He owed the two so much and he could not tell them anything about himself or his plans. They were not without problems and suffering, he knew that now. Just because they did not have to worry about death and murder, did not mean they were not in pain and suffered. Every pain feels real and hurts just the same. Kyungsoo watched the waves and felt as if with every wave his chest grew heavier. The big festival was getting closer now and he knew that everything was just coming down to whether his plan would succeed or fail. But either way he would probably never see the two again. Should he succeed they would probably not want to see him again. Should he fail, he would either die or be arrested.

“You once asked me how my hometown was like”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Huh?” Baekhyun was surprised when Kyungsoo suddenly broke the silence.  
“I lived in the desert my entire life. The houses were built into the ground, so one could stand the heat. The houses were small and dark. During the day the heat was almost unbearable. We had a school but no university, a few places were you could be trained as an apprentice for various jobs. We had no park… it was just the houses and the red sandy, rocky grounds. The desert always looked so inviting to me that I often went outside to explore. I drew maps and made notes of the places I’ve seen. It is so unlike everything here in the city”, Kyungsoo said.  
The sadness inside his chest turned bitter and he was so full of anger and hate once again. He closed his eyes and thought of the camps, Jongin… and everything that had happened back at his hometown.  
“Kyungsoo?”  
When he opened his eyes, Baekhyun looked at him anxiously. Kyungsoo smiled. “Sorry, I did not want to scare you but it’s true. One better stays here inside the city, it is too dangerous outside”, Kyungsoo said.  
“But you know sometimes things change so quickly and you do not want to live with the regrets of not having done something. So if it fulfils you, go outside. But maybe the things you’re looking for are much closer to you than you think”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun frowned.  
“What kind of talk is that now?” Baekhyun asked.  
“If you constantly look for trouble and danger isn’t that because you can always return to a safe place in the end? Don’t you do everything because you know there is someone you can rely on getting you out of trouble?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“Are you implying that I am taking Chanyeol for granted?” Baekhyun called.  
“No”, Kyungsoo said. “I am saying that you two should talk about the thing that keeps you from looking at him”, Kyungsoo said.  
Baekhyun stared at Kyungsoo. Chanyeol bit his lip and looked away.  
“Don’t get me wrong, Baekhyun. I’m not here to call you out or to get you two into a fight again. You’re my friends and I cannot watch you two suffer like this”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun looked away quickly, unfortunately he turned his head to his right where Chanyeol was sitting. He made a strangled sound somewhere between a nervous laughter and a snort.  
“I better leave you two alone, right?” Kyungsoo murmured and got up. But he saw how Chanyeol leaned down so his head was now right beside Baekhyun’s head. The ocean drowned out the words that Chanyeol whispered into Baekhyun’s ear but they caused Baekhyun to shiver and Kyungsoo could easily guess what he had said. When Kyungsoo had climbed up the stairs to the promenade he looked back at the beach and saw how Baekhyun and Chanyeol finally looked at each other. He took in the salty breeze and the steady sound of the waves but he left when he saw that Chanyeol kissed Baekhyun.

The next day, he told Dr Kim he was willing to take the drug without hypnosis. He did not want it to be revealed why he wanted to take the drug. He did not need it to remember exact details of the shelter but to remember a certain number.  
Kyungsoo was led into a smaller room next to the office where Dr Kim injected that drug into his veins.  
“Just lay down for 5 minutes. I will come and get you then. You might feel a bit dizzy at first so don’t stand up quickly. The drug will kick in very quickly but you need to collect your memories and order them”, Dr Kim said.  
Kyungsoo was lying on a sofa and felt the drug entering his system. It felt like something very thick and heavy was in his body. He felt sickish but said nothing. Dr Kim received a call just then and got up to leave the room. He was probably outside the room on the corridor but Kyungsoo could hear him crystal clear.

“How many of them died? - That’s it we’re sending a bigger troop of police men over, the riot needs to be stopped immediately”, he hissed.  
Kyungsoo felt numb, he knew he was feeling a terrible dread at hearing those news but he could not react. He felt strangely detached but just as he thought of the camp, he saw those pictures in his head very clearly. He saw the scene of camp two, Jongdae and Minseok on the bench in the cafeteria just as he was leaving. The flickering of the hologram that showed him the way into the city. Kenta showing them a device. “Here, I found this and repaired it. You can call us or text us, if you use this number”, Kenta had said. “773653241”.

Kyungsoo’s eyes flew open just as Dr Kim came back into the room. “Okay, let’s get started”, he said.  
Kyungsoo got through the meeting answering all their questions but he was repeating the number in his head over and over again, scared he could forget it again. But during the meeting he came up with a way of noting it down later so it would stay invisible to anyone else’s eyes.  
When he returned to his room he checked whether the gun was still there. Everytime he got dressed and undressed in the mornings and evenings he checked whether it was still there. But no one had yet come to search for the gun and no one had asked. It was still in his wardrobe in his boots.

 

October 2088

Two days later Kyungsoo was going into the city for a walk to move his tense body. He was so anxious and since he had remembered the number he should call, his mind had been on nothing else but the plan. He was taking his usual route to the university park when someone ran to catch up with him.  
“Kyungsoo! I was looking for you”, Baekhyun said out of breath. “What were you doing up on the hill?” he asked holding his sides.  
“I live there”, Kyungsoo said confused. Baekhyun stared at him.  
“You – you live up there?” he asked.  
Just then Kyungsoo remembered that he had broken his promise to Dr Kim because he had more than often walked down the hill instead of taking a taxi.  
“Doesn’t matter now. What is it?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“Right, I want you to come over to my place”, Baekhyun said and dragged him into a side alley. “It’s quite far away from here, maybe we should take public transport”, Baekhyun muttered.  
“We should take a taxi”, Kyungsoo said.  
“A taxi? Are you mad?” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo frowned. “Why?”  
Baekhyun gave him an odd look. “They are ridiculously expensive – only higher ups take the taxi”, he said.  
Kyungsoo shrugged. “I pay”. Baekhyun shook his head.  
“You know that they register exactly where you’re going?” Baekhyun asked carefully. Kyungsoo stared at him. “Then let’s walk”, he murmured.

It took almost half an hour to get to Baekhyun’s home as he lived near the ocean. It was a small and narrow house. The ground floor was occupied by a supermarket which belonged to Baekhyun’s aunt. They took a side entrance and climbed up narrow stairs to the first floor and Baekhyun led him into his room. It was small but it was bright, full of light. His walls were painted in a soft and light brown which gave a warm feeling. Most of the walls were however covered with maps of the city and pictures of the ocean, the desert and of several people. Kyungsoo only recognised the boy that was also sitting on Baekhyun’s bed. Chanyeol was on most of the pictures.  
“Here, the present for you friend’s birthday”, Chanyeol said.  
Kyungsoo hurried over and took the small box Chanyeol was holding. “Thank you so much!” Kyungsoo whispered. “I owe you!”  
Chanyeol looked away and shrugged. “Well, after you helped us too…”, he murmured.  
“How did I help you?” Kyungsoo asked distracted while he opened the paper box. “Uh well…”, Chanyeol murmured.  
“We’re dating now”, Baekhyun burst out. Kyungsoo looked up. “Really?” Baekhyun’s eyes were glowing. “Yes!”  
Chanyeol shuffled with his feet. “Well if it had not been for you we would have never talked about it”, he said.  
Baekhyun climbed onto the bed next to Chanyeol, Baekhyun’s feet hang several centimetres above the ground unlike Chanyeol’s long legs.  
“So do you like it?” Baekhyun asked, looking full of expectation at Kyungsoo.  
“Yes, absolutely. But I am very – unskilled when it comes to mobile phones. Could you explain to me how it works?” Kyungsoo asked.  
Chanyeol raised his eyebrows but Baekhyun nudged his side. So with a sigh Chanyeol got up and showed Kyungsoo how to switch it on and off and how to make calls or send texts. “Well you could install some apps that are for free and you could communicate –“, Chanyeol said.  
“No, I just need it to make some calls”, Kyungsoo said.  
“I installed it with a very old system. Usually you sign a contract and pay your provider so that you can make calls and stuff. But I put in a card that’s prepaid, only there is a limited amount of money on it. They’re hard to come by”, Chanyeol said.  
“How much is on there?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“Enough for about 10 texts. It depends on how long your call lasts and where you call, so it’s hard to say for how long the card will last. But I should say it is enough for three longer calls in the area”, Chanyeol said. Kyungsoo looked at him.  
“I will definitely compensate you for that”, he said. Chanyeol flushed.  
“I – it wasn’t that much honestly”, he murmured. “I’m not poor or anything”.  
Baekhyun got to his feet. “You should let him, Chanyeol. Kyungsoo is super rich”, he said. Kyungsoo frowned. “Ah, now that’s –“, he started.  
“He lives on the hill to the sea!” Baekhyun said. Chanyeol stared at him.  
“What? Now that I think of it, you didn’t say what you were working right?” he said. He eyed him with suspicion in his eyes.  
“I’m not from the government”, Kyungsoo said shaking his head. “I work for a doctor”, he added, hoping that the few bits of truth could convince them.  
“A doctor?” Chanyeol asked. “There do live quite a few up there”, Baekhyun said.  
“Yeah, he is letting me stay at his house. It is not mine and I am not that rich. He is just really kind enough to let me stay there”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Oh, now it makes sense why you wanted that drug! It is pretty stressful as a doctor’s assistant, right? A friend of mine is also a doctor’s assistant”, Baekhyun babbled away.  
“What doctor?” Chanyeol asked, still not convinced.  
Kyungsoo had no idea what kind of doctor Dr Kim was anyway, so the next thing he could think of was Dr Nakamura.  
“A psychologist”, Kyungsoo said. “I’m sorry I never told you but I am not allowed to talk about my work”, he added.  
Chanyeol’s face relaxed. “Well that explains your attempts at counselling us”, he said and sat back down. Kyungsoo laughed.  
“Yeah, bad habit. I apologise”, he said and was amazed at how easy it was to tell them such a lie. But at the same time he was disgusted with himself because now that he had the unregistered phone and the number, he could begin with his plan.

He walked for a bit so that he was far away enough from Baekhyun’s house and then took a taxi back home. He locked his room and went into the bathroom. He turned on the shower head and waited until the hot steam fogged up the mirror. And the number he had written over and over onto the mirror appeared. Kyungsoo’s heart was racing as he dialled the number and pressed call.

There was an odd sound, a beeping and then a little crack.  
The beeping had stopped and instead he heard someone breathing. “Kenta?” he asked. “Kenta is that you? Kyu?” There was another sound.  
“Who is this?” said a rough voice. “Kyu”, Kyungsoo said relieved to recognise her voice.  
“It’s me, Kyungsoo”, he whispered.  
“Kyungsoo? Where are you?” Kyu hissed.  
“I’m in the city, I thought you were at camp two”, Kyungsoo whispered back.  
“I was but we had to retreat for now. They have good equipment”, Kyu said.  
“Listen, this phone won’t last too long, I am not sure for how long and I am constantly observed. I was not able to find the Feng group, no one here is called like that. But I am living at the house of Junmyeon’s grandfather and I have a plan of how to get you in”, Kyungsoo said hectically.  
Kyu’s breath sped up. “You have? We also thought a few things up”.  
Kyungsoo took a deep breath.  
“Yes, but I think I can only get one person into the city”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Okay, as long as it is one who does the job that’s fine”, Kyu said.  
“That would be you, right?” Kyungsoo said. Kyu hummed.  
“Okay, listen. On Wednesday in one week there is a big festival taking place, the security will be easier to trick. But it is still very difficult to get into the city. There is a scan right at the gate, they scan your eyes and ask you for your identity. I doubt we can hack it, it is a closed system. You need to be inside the city and the system to hack it. After that they get you into a house to register, you need to go through the house, the other way down is a cliff and if you cannot fly, then it’s no good. They would register you, eye and hand scan and all that. Then there is a decontamination room and after that there is a hall with an elevator that gets you into the city”, Kyungsoo said quickly.

“Good”, it was not Kyu who spoke but Kenta. “Every system can be hacked if you’re good enough. And we do have someone inside the city, right?” Kenta said.  
“What?” Kyungsoo asked. “I cannot hack into the security system!” Kyungsoo said nervously.  
“You don’t have to. I will send you a file to your device and all you need to do is get it into their system. It is a video file that shows what they have done to us, so if you can get it to be streamed in a public space, it will be a good distraction and cause an uproar for even longer. I will plant a virus into the video and it will attack the security system for long enough to open the gates”, Kenta said.  
“Good, I was told that you can trick the holograms in the reception hall by getting a bug into the system that will disrupt the holograms for a few seconds”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Well, I think if we plant the virus into their system I can shut down their entire system and we all could get in”, Kenta said.  
Kyungsoo’s heart was racing in his chest. “Kyu, you were at camp two, right? I heard rumours that several people died”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Yeah that’s right”, Kyu said. “But that were guards as well as our people. And no, I don’t know whether Jongin was among them. I have not seen him”, Kyu said.  
Kyungsoo closed his eyes. “I don’t want to get your hopes up”, Kyu started.  
“I know, you don’t have to say it…”, Kyungsoo said. “Okay, the festival starts at 5 PM. You better wait a few hours though and it is better if it is dark anyways”, he said then. “Good”, Kyu said.  
“Kyungsoo, thank you. Don’t call again. I’ll send you the files. Make sure they are in their system by 8 PM”, Kenta said.  
“Alright”, Kyungsoo said.  
They hung up and Kyungsoo wiped the bathroom mirror clean. He wrapped the phone into a towel and got out of the bathroom. He jumped when he saw someone sitting on his bed.  
“You were in there for quite a bit”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo shrugged.  
“I needed a hot shower, I had a bit of a back problem”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon looked at him.  
“Kyungsoo, leave the military guy behind. You are no longer a rebellious lieutenant, living in the desert”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo frowned and shook his head.  
“Junmyeon, what are you talking about?” he asked. But on the inside he felt cold. Had he found the gun? Had he overheard the phone call?

“We’re here now and the only way to help them is to finish this project”, Junmyeon said.  
“Well, I don’t even know what this project is about”, Kyungsoo said coldly.  
“I am sure my grandfather will tell you soon. We are close to a breakthrough”, Junmyeon said. He grabbed Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “We are finally doing something good, not like back at home, Kyungsoo. This time it is the right thing”, Junmyeon said firmly.  
“How can you be so sure?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon just looked at him.  
“As soon as you are in on the project you will understand”, he said. “Until then you should be careful”, Junmyeon said.  
Kyungsoo did not look away. “I am”, he said. “I told you, I am contributing to the project. I only want to save them”, Kyungsoo said.  
“No, you want to save Jongin”, Junmyeon said.  
Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. Junmyeon leaned closer. “He is not dead, I overheard my grandfather talking with some of the guards fighting there. Yes, Kyungsoo, he is still alive. But if the fights don’t stop he will die. It is best if they stopped resisting and if you help the team we can find a solution quicker. The project will help them, it is the solution to all the problems, Kyungsoo. You can only save Jongin, if you help us with the project”, Junmyeon said with a piercing look.  
Kyungsoo was torn, he wanted to believe Junmyeon. He wanted to believe that Jongin was still alive and out there but he knew that Junmyeon was only trying to manipulate him.  
“Show me the evidence that Jongin is alive and I am on your side”, Kyungsoo said then. Junmyeon nodded.  
“I knew you would ask for that. There is a list of the fallen and we have access to the security cameras in camp two. We might be able to sneak into my grandfather’s office and have a look”, Junmyeon said.

Now that the plan was on, time seemed to fly by and Kyungsoo got tenser and tenser. He received the files Kenta had promised and with that he did no longer need to break into Dr Kim’s office. It were several clips from the security camera of camp two but also older clips from camp three and Kyungsoo had to stop midway because he could hardly bare it. The clips showed that the rooms the Aureum Luscus were usually staying in were not like the creepy basement rooms, but ordinary rooms that would have looked nice and friendly had it not been for the scenes that took place there at the moment.

On Monday Kyungsoo went into the city again and saw that the preparations for the festival had already started.  
“Are you excited?” Baekhyun asked. Kyungsoo nodded.  
“Very much”, Kyungsoo said honestly.  
He was more anxious than excited but it was good that he could disguise his nervous anxiety with excitement for the festival.  
“Let’s decide upon a meeting point. Once it gets really crowded we won’t be able to find each other”, Chanyeol said.  
They walked over the big square near the promenade at the ocean where the festival would take place. Kyungsoo feigned to be interested in the festival but only looked around to get a good overview where everything would be put up.  
“Oh and the music is great, there will be different performers! The best musicians of the university will also perform! There will be a huge stage over there”, Baekhyun told him and pointed at a scaffolding.  
“We need to come early then otherwise we won’t have a good view”, Kyungsoo said.  
“Oh no, the first rows are always reserved. But don’t worry there is a live stream, they put up big screens everywhere. So we can even watch the performances from the promenade!” Baekhyun said.  
“Oh really?” Kyungsoo said. Big screen, that was perfect. He only needed to see the technical equipment so he would be able to attach his phone and get the screen to show his video.  
“I am looking forward to it more than ever”, Baekhyun said happily. Chanyeol smiled. Kyungsoo felt terrible but nodded and smiled. He was going to destroy the festival with his plan.

The night before Wednesday Kyungsoo could not sleep, he felt nothing like on the day when they had taken off to attack the camps. He had never felt like this ever before. His nerves were on edge and he needed every bit of energy to act as if he was completely calm. He put on trousers that were a bit wider, so he could hide the gun. He attached it to his ankles with another self-made ankle holster. He put the phone into his pocket and saw Junmyeon going into the dining hall for a late breakfast.  
“Are you already off?” Junmyeon asked.  
“Yeah, I’m meeting friends before the festival!” Kyungsoo said.  
“Oh right”, Junmyeon said. “By the way, my grandfather will spend some time tonight in his living room. The governor is coming over as usual”, Junmyeon whispered.  
“The governor?” Kyungsoo asked surprised.  
“Yeah, they’re good friends”.  
That explains a lot, Kyungsoo thought.  
“They have dinner together and play chess and talk about new laws. Then after the governor leaves, he will stay in the living room for a bit longer”, Junmyeon said.  
“Well then I won’t stay too long at the festival. It starts at 5 PM so I surely won’t stay until midnight”, Kyungsoo said.  
“You don’t have to hurry. The governor stays until 9 or 10 PM”, Junmyeon said.  
Kyungsoo nodded and left. He didn’t tell Junmyeon that he had no intention of sneaking into Junmyeon’s grandfather’s office to see prove of Jongin being alive. He took a taxi down to the festival site and stopped the time. He had stopped his way home before if he walked and he had to calculate how quick someone from his home could come for him. It took 10 minutes with the taxi and 20 if he walked, if he ran it would probably take 15 minutes.

He spent a few hours at the beach, watching the waves in the hopes it would calm his nerves and also because he wasn’t sure whether he would ever see something so beautiful again. He prepared his mind for the worst case. If he had believed in a God he would have prayed, but he had nothing to believe in but his wish to see Jongin again and to hold onto the tiny fraction of hope in his heart that they could meet again.  
When he met up with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, he could hardly smile. In the few weeks he had been in the city, they had become his friends. He wished he could warn them but he knew that it would endanger the plan. He could only wish that Chanyeol was quick enough and aware of keeping Baekhyun from following Kyungsoo into the real trouble.  
As the afternoon drew nearer, the promenade started to fill with people waiting for the festival to start. There was excited chattering and laughter and Kyungsoo was glad that it was finally time because he felt like he could not stand around and wait for any second longer.  
They were allowed to enter the festival square. It was nicely decorated and under the pretence of wanting to see everything, they walked around and Kyungsoo went to see the technical equipment for the stage and big screens. His chest was hurting as he looked around at all the people around him but he had to lock away the pain and conscience. He watched how they got the screens ready, someone was standing there with a smaller screen in his hands and he was taping onto it very quickly. A lot of cables were attached to it. Kyungsoo knew he would have to be quick later and find the right cable to attach his phone to the screen. Which would be way harden when it was dark and quite possibly he would have to knock out the guy who was responsible for managing the screens. They walked around, bought something to eat and drink. Baekhyun and Chanyeol seemed to enjoy the festival to the fullest but Kyungsoo’s mind was too full of other things to take much of the festival in. He kept glancing at the time. The clock at the little shop where they bought waffles. 6 PM.  
When they stopped at another shop to buy festival merchandise. 6:45 PM. When they went to the restrooms. 7:10 PM. His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his throat. They had sat down at a bar that was further away from the stage but as it was set up on the first floor, they had a great view over the festival. 7:25 PM.  
They watched a group of girls and boys perform a dance, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were cheering. Kyungsoo was clapping nervously, his hands were sweating. A girl with a guitar was singing a calm song that was apparently well known and popular as the crowd sang with her. 7:40 PM.  
“Excuse me for a second, I think I have to go to the restrooms again”, Kyungsoo said.  
Chanyeol nodded, Baekhyun was too absorbed in the performance of his favourite artist so he did not even notice. Kyungsoo left the bar and had to fight his way through the crowd. There was a clock in the middle of the square. 7:50 PM. Kyungsoo was breathing fast now as fought his way through the crowd closer to the stage and constantly looked for the guy with the screen in his hands. 7:55 PM. Kyungsoo spotted the guy standing near the stage. He climbed over the small stone wall that surrounded the square and walked along it with no one in his way. 7:58 PM. He was standing right behind him.  
“Alright, camera two show the audience. The artist will give an encore”, he was saying.  
Kyungsoo pulled him into a headlock so quickly the guy could not scream and pulled him back into the shadows behind the stage. In less than a minute the guy was unconscious. Then he looked at the screen, it had a touch screen. 8 PM.  
Kyungsoo did not know which cable he needed to connect his phone to the screen, none of the cables had a two sided end so he could not connect his phone. He cursed but just as he pressed his phone to the screen in desperation, a message popped up on the screen. Connect device? Kyungsoo pressed yes quickly. 8:02 PM. A window opened and he saw the video file Kenta had sent him. He tapped onto it.

“Hey, Chang, what’s wrong? The screens suddenly turned black. Chang?” The music had suddenly stopped.  
Kyungsoo saw a man with bleached hair coming around the stage and headed towards them. Kyungsoo started running and knocked him out while running. He ran along the same stone wall and saw that the screens now showed the video. The crowd was slowly realising that there was something different on the screens but the performance. Then a few people started screaming, Kyungsoo was running faster. He ducked down and mixed into the crowd but he saw how security had already started looking for the person who was responsible for the video on the screen. “Kyungsoo!”  
He shortly looked up and saw as he was leaving the festival that Baekhyun was standing on the stairs that led up to the bar. Kyungsoo shook his head and quickly made his way out of the festival. “Hey!”  
Kyungsoo sped up and started running when he heard a security guard calling out for him and demanding him to stop. But Baekhyun knew the city so well, he knew short cuts the guard did not and he had caught up with Kyungsoo very fast. Baekhyun was a good runner, Kyungsoo had not thought that.  
“Baekhyun, no! Go back to Chanyeol! You’ll get into trouble!” Kyungsoo shouted.  
“What kind of video is that?” Baekhyun called back as they ran. “The truth!” Kyungsoo called. Baekhyun was very pale in the dim light.  
“The government really did those experiments from those stories? They keep them locked away and do gruesome experiments?” Baekhyun called.  
“Yes! I was there, my friend the one I wanted to see again. He is one of them!” Kyungsoo called. Baekhyun sped up. “I’m helping you!” he shouted.  
“No!” Kyungsoo cried out. “Go back, this is not your fight!” Baekhyun glared at him.  
“You are my friend, so it is my fight as well!” he called. “Where are you going?” Baekhyun asked then.  
“To help someone into the city”, Kyungsoo said. His sides were burning from the running and shouting.  
“Stop right there!”  
Kyungsoo’s heart skipped a beat, there was a security guard up ahead. “Leave now!” Kyungsoo called to Baekhyun. “No way!”  
Kyungsoo came skittering to a halt and reached down to his ankle. He would need to shoot his way free then.  
“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol appeared out of a side alley. “What’s going on?” he called out of breath.

The security guards closed in on them. Chanyeol saw how one of them pulled a gun and jumped at him. “Baekhyun, get down!”  
But the guard had shot when Kyungsoo had started running again, he missed Kyungsoo and hit Baekhyun instead. With a terrible scream Baekhyun fell to the ground. Kyungsoo turned around. “No! They have nothing to do with this, leave them alone!” he called.  
“Give up, Lieutenant!”, one of the guards said.  
Kyungsoo had stopped and was walking backwards with his hands raised. “Lieutenant?” Chanyeol asked.  
Kyungsoo caught a glimpse of his face and checked Baekhyun on the ground. He was still breathing, he had been hit in the shoulder, he had not been hit fatally.  
“I surrender if you let them go. Chanyeol, take him to a hospital quickly!” Kyungsoo said.  
“This only means you have dragged innocent people into your game, Lieutenant Do!” one of the guards called and raised his gun.  
They were only a few steps away now, one of the guards stepped behind Kyungsoo.  
“You are arrested for releasing state secrets to the public, supporting rebellious groups that led to the death of police men and security guards as well as the plotting of murder”, the security guard said.  
But Kyungsoo was faster he jumped by using the guard behind him as a support and kicked the guard in front of him into the chest. He pulled his gun and shot them into the arms and legs to immobilise them. Chanyeol was breathing hard and stared at him.  
“Who the hell are you?” Chanyeol asked terrified.  
“Take him to a hospital. I am sorry for all of this”, Kyungsoo said and turned around.  
He ran as fast as he could up the hill, everything seemed normal at the house. Maybe no one had realised yet what was going on. Kyungsoo opened the door and stepped into the hall, his gun drawn. But the hall was empty.  
Kyungsoo slowly walked as quietly as possible over to the living room. It was absolutely quiet, he could hear nothing. He put his hand on the door knob but just then he heard a whimpering and something shattering. He wrenched the door open and stormed inside. Dr Kim was half standing half hanging in a dark figure’s arms. He was shaking and Junmyeon was standing a few steps away, his old weapon - a syringe - ready in his hand.  
“Kyungsoo”, Junmyeon said breathlessly. “Help me”.  
Kyungsoo walked around the chair and stepped next to Junmyeon. The figure tensed a bit and with one hand removed the black hood. It was Kyu. Kyungsoo looked at her and then raised his gun but he aimed it at Junmyeon. “I am very sorry, Junmyeon”, he said. “Drop the syringe”. Junmyeon stared at him.  
“Kyungsoo”, he whispered. Kyu chuckled. “You see that old man? You see that? I am glad you can watch your own kind betray you, when you always believed that only we could be so cruel. He is ready to shoot his own friend”, Kyu said delighted.  
“You got it all wrong”, Dr Kim said. “Listen, you need help, I can give it to you”.  
Kyu turned him around and hit him so hard in the face that he fell to the floor.  
“The hell I need from you! Don’t act like you are someone who can heal people. All the help you gave me, those pills and those endless injections, locked away in a cell like a prisoner. See you can’t even remember who I am!” Kyu shouted. “You like to think of the easy cases that lived in nice rooms like it was a dorm and they were on holidays in a camp! I am nothing more than an experiment to you, don’t act like I am anything else to you!” Kyu shouted and pulled her gun.  
“Please don’t”, Dr Kim whimpered.  
He could not move and Kyungsoo only saw then that Kyu must have broken his legs before so he could not stand properly or move.  
“Don’t worry, I intend to make this as painful as possible and I will take my time”, Kyu hissed.  
Then suddenly there were shots that echoed in the silence outside. Junmyeon turned his head nervously. “Kyu, please stop. That will be the police, they won’t arrest you. They will just kill you on the spot”, Junmyeon called.  
“What do I care?” Kyu asked. “Also what makes you so sure it will be the police?” she asked as there loud voices in the hall.  
The door banged open and a man in a dirty white uniform ran into the room. “Drop the weapons!” he shouted.  
In the next moment he was thrown to the ground. “Shut up”, Minseok growled and kicked the police man’s weapon from his hand.  
“Minseok!” Kyungsoo shouted as another police man came into the room. But before the police man could even target Minseok, he was taken down by another man who came rushing in. “Looks like we’re complete”, Kyu said with a dark smile.  
“How is it looking outside, Jongdae?” Minseok asked and got up.  
“Bad, they’re all assembling on the road that leads up to the house. We’ve got about 8 people there who are holding them off”, Jongdae said and locked the door.  
“You can’t let 8 people take on all those police men!” Junmyeon called.  
“They’re only buying us some time”, Jongdae said and threw him a cold glance.  
“Pity, looks like we’ve got to speed things up a little”, Kyu said and reached into her pockets. She pulled up a very small syringe, she took off the cap of the long and unusually thick needle.  
“Kyu, you won’t find rest by killing him”, Junmyeon burst out.  
“You are quite wrong, of course. This is the only thing I have been looking forward to doing”, Kyu said and placed the needle surprisingly carefully onto Dr Kim’s skin.  
“See you in hell, you believe in that stuff, don’t you?” Kyu whispered and pushed the needle into his arm.  
She let Dr Kim drop onto his back, he was twitching and moaning quietly. Junmyeon was shaking but he did not do anything. Kyu leaned onto the heavy desk that was in the back of the room, she looked exhausted.  
“Kyu?” Kyungsoo called. Kyu put her hand to her forehead, her hand was shaking. There was a beeping sound and Jongdae checked a black device that looked similar to Kyungsoo’s phone. “Looks like our job is done”, Jongdae said. There was a loud commotion outside and Kyungsoo heard a distinctive voice shouting:  
“This is the police, put your weapons down and no one has to die!”  
Jongdae raised his eyebrows and looked at Minseok. “Sure”, Jongdae called. The door was broken open and Jongdae and Minseok both put their weapons down and turned around with their hands held high. Jongdae was smiling at the officer who had shouted. “Kim Jongdae?” the officer asked. He stared at Jongdae in disbelief.  
“Nice to see you again, sir”, Jongdae said as another officer handcuffed him.

There was a low thud and Kyungsoo turned around. Junmyeon was breathing hard as he stared at Kyu lying on the ground. She was not moving.  
“What happened?” Kyungsoo whispered. “Did you do something to her?” Kyungsoo shouted and pressed his gun into Junmyeon’s shoulder.  
“Hey! You, put it down!” another officer shouted at Kyungsoo.  
“What did you do?” Kyungsoo shouted. Junmyeon turned around.  
“Nothing, she was already half dead when I examined her at the camp”, Junmyeon said, his voice shaking. He had tears in his eyes and his hands were clenched.  
“But she had to come and kill my grandfather for – nothing”, he pressed out.  
“Why was she half dead?” Kyungsoo asked. A police officer ripped the gun from his hand and he did not object.  
Junmyeon did not answer and just looked at him.  
“You think, she deserved that, didn’t you?” Kyungsoo whispered and stared at Junmyeon. He was filled with such a rage he could have put his bare hands around his neck. Junmyeon had not changed at all, he only acted on what was the best for him. What eased his conscience the best and what brought him the biggest advantage. Kyungsoo felt his hands being handcuffed on his back.  
“You won’t continue this mad research, Junmyeon. Not after the whole city has seen what your grandfather and all those scientists have done at those camps”, Kyungsoo hissed. “Forward!” the officer called and pushed Kyungsoo forward.  
He let himself be walked out and seated into a car. He was taken to the north east of the city, he had never been there. It was also a hilly area but the climate reminded him much more of the desert outside the city. He was brought into a prison that was situated at a very high mountain, completely isolated from the city. He saw a few people with yellow eye who were brought to the prison as well but he could not spot Jongin. Minseok and Jongdae were not there either.

He was sent into a tiny cell and was told that he had to come to court in about a week’s time. Kyungsoo paced up and down his tiny cell, two steps to the side, three back and forth. He had not been told the entire plan and that was not a problem for him, he only wanted to be filled in. He needed to know what had happened to all the others who had come into the city and what had happened at camp two and whether Jongin… whether Jongin was here in the city…whether Baekhyun was okay…  
He could not sleep or eat and no one told him what time it was. He was completely isolated and since the cells were separate rooms, he could not even see who was in the cells next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the longer break again. I was very busy and a lot of ..things happened.  
> As an apology a very long chapter with the promised action and also a little romance.  
> I hope you enjoyed that chapter!


	11. Ten

He awoke with a start and the first sharp intake of breath burnt in his chest.  
Something was on his face but his arms were so heavy, he could not lift them to check. There was a strange sound, constant. It was familiar and it made him uneasy. He knew that sound and it meant nothing good. When his eyes got used to the bright light, he saw that he was however not in the room he expected to be in. He was lying on a soft bed, his arms were not cuffed to the bed but there was a needle in his arm. There were voices and when he turned his head, he saw a screen. It showed a video of a woman in red clothes, talking in front of a building. There were short clips of a huge crowd screaming and protesting, they were holding signs. Then they showed pictures. His breath hitched and his chest hurt worse.

“Can you turn up the volume?” someone asked nearby.

“…still ongoing. The governor has yet to decide on how to tackle the recent publication of the biggest secret the government had been keeping from the citizens. He has not released an official statement about the project of the so-called Aureum Luscus, the golden eyed mutated young people. But it seems that there are several laws in preparation in regard to their legal status and protection. Do Kyungsoo, ex-Lieutenant of a small town north east to the city, whose trial is taking place right now, has been accused of murder, plotting of murder and complicity to murder, as well as releasing secret government documents and supporting the break-in of the Aureum Luscus into the city. Further he has been accused of aggravated assault. The list of crimes is long, but to the people of the city this man is a hero. He has sacrificed everything as he freed an Aureum Luscus that had been held captive in his town, joined a group of them and helped freeing more from the three camps located in the desert. He made it into the city and could have started a new and safe life but he did not abandon his new friends and helped to expose the truth to us”, the woman in red was saying.

There were two young women standing close to the screen, they were wearing pale blue clothes. “He is so handsome, isn’t he?” one of them giggled. The other female turned towards the man lying on the bed next to him, it was blocked by a curtain.  
“You should sleep a little bit, Mr Byun. You have been watching TV all day. You should not be agitated or your wound may open up again”, she said kindly.  
“But I need to know whether Kyungsoo will be cleared! They already stripped him of his title and put him into prison!” the young man called.  
Then the two noticed him staring, one of the females made a step back and pulled the curtain with her and exposed the agitated young man in the bed next to him.  
“I mean I am shocked, too and I think they deserve justice but I cannot get used to their eyes”, the other woman whispered.  
“He can hear and understand you!” Mr Byun said angrily. Then he smiled brightly.  
“I’m Baekhyun. What’s your name? Do you know Kyungsoo? You kept staring at his picture”, Baekhyun said.  
His throat was dry and hurt when he opened his lips no sound came out.  
“Oh dear, don’t strain yourself”. A third woman in pale blue called as she hurried over. “You have visitors but I should really not let them see you in this state”, she said to him as she pulled the curtains back and blocked the other women and the young man from his sight.  
“But he is also an Aureum Luscus, maybe you know him? He showed me a picture of you and said he was looking for you”, the third woman said kindly.  
His heart was racing in his hurting chest. Who could it be?

But it were two young men that entered the large room, he was lying in. One had broad shoulders and the shirt he was wearing lay tight over his muscular upper body, his yellow eyes were scanning the room carefully. He was accompanied by a tall man with brown eyes who headed straight to the bed without looking at anything in the room. His heart slowed down.  
“Jongin!” Minseok and Jongdae hurried to the bed. “You had us worried. We have been looking for you all over the city. The others told us you died at camp two!” Jongdae whispered. “Have you just woken up? I guess you want to be filled in then. The news don’t bring all the details”, Minseok said and leaned closer.  
“Junmyeon betrayed us and ran for it as soon as he learnt that his grandfather was the original creator of the whole project. He joined his grandfather in the science team. Kyungsoo followed him and let us in. After Kyu and I got inside, Kenta manage to take control over their security system and let everyone else in. We went to Junmyeon’s grandfather’s house and Kyu killed him. We got all arrested but I think because the citizens got really upset after seeing clips of the camps and what they’ve done, most of us were cleared of breaking into the city. Since we killed no one in the city, we got cleared very quickly. What happened at the camps is being hushed up so far. Kyungsoo however… he has a long list of things he’s done and he is not one of us, so he doesn’t get a special treatment. They cannot punish us because of everything they’ve already done to us. Well, they all love Kyungsoo so he might receive a fairly small punishment. Huh? Yeah, Junmyeon’s grandfather had a close friendship with the governor so he could pull it all off and could keep everything a secret. We haven’t found out who the Feng group is but before we went in, Kyu mentioned that she thinks it would be some people in high positions. We have to keep a low profile for now however, we are waiting until everyone has been cleared. We need to reorganise and make a plan. Now Junmyeon has taken over his grandfather’s position and has been appointed the official advisor role for the governor. He was not prosecuted in any way, he wasn’t even accused of a crime. Now it is said that he has put pressure on the governor to introduce laws to protect us and to compensate for everything that happened to us. He announced the closure of all three camps and he was the one to make the governor end the situation at camp two. Some said he went personally to close camp two”, Minseok whispered so quietly that even Jongdae could hardly hear him.

Jongin barely managed to nod. He opened his lips but could not say a word. “He really was there? Did you see him?” Minseok asked surprise.  
Jongin nodded again and closed his eyes because the pain was searing through his head.  
“Was it him who brought you here?” Jongdae asked. Jongin did not answer.  
“Kyungsoo was so sure that Junmyeon had betrayed us completely and abandoned every one of you. They had a massive fall out and man, I can understand it. Junmyeon has an incredible position now, he owns this massive house and he has great power. But for all we know is that after he let the camps close three days ago and before that, he was locked in at his house and did not talk to anyone. Eric, one of the staff, said he had been doing that even before that the entire time. It seems he is still working on something so I cannot be sure whether he is to be trusted”, Jongdae said.  
Jongin tried to ask something but he could not say anything and he could not raise his hands to indicate anything. But Minseok understood from reading his lips.  
“Kyu? She – she was really sick, no one really knew. She collapsed after killing Junmyeon’s grandfather. And we haven’t seen her since then but I think she is dead”, Minseok said. “Anyways, we’re still looking for Sean. He might be able to treat you with his medicine better than they can do here”, Jongdae added.  
“We’ll come and visit you again tomorrow and bring you news, okay? Also we’ve heard that Kyungsoo’s trial is supposed to come to an end tonight. They’re ready to announce the decision in the next few hours”, he said then. Jongin simply blinked to show that he had understood, he could not even nod anymore.

Jongdae opened the curtain and they walked out. When they had left the hospital, they sat down outside in the small park.  
“We should go and pick up Kyungsoo, shouldn’t we?” Jongdae asked. Minseok nodded absently. “He looked bad”, Jongdae muttered then.  
“Bad? He looks more dead than alive”, Minseok hissed. “I don’t know what they’re doing in there but it is not good enough. We need Sean, he can fix Jongin”.  
Jongdae nodded. “Then let’s go to the court and don’t tell Kyungsoo about Jongin just yet, okay?” Jongdae said.  
“Why not? He’ll want to know that Jongin is alive”, Minseok said surprised as he got up. Jongdae bit his lip.  
“What, you think he won’t make it through?” Minseok asked. Jongdae grabbed his arm.  
“What do you think he’ll do when he sees Jongin like that?” Jongdae asked quietly. Minseok frowned.  
“He is in love with Jongin. He will want to bring Kyu’s mission to an end and he’ll want to kill every member of the Feng group with his own hands. And I have the feeling he blames Junmyeon even though it was Junmyeon who got Jongin out of there”, Jongdae explained. Minseok looked puzzled.  
“I don’t get it. If he likes him than he will be glad that he is alive, right?” Minseok asked. Jongdae sighed.  
“Have you forgotten everything, I tried to teach you about human relationships?” he asked. Minseok’s face darkened.  
“I tend to not think of my time at the camp so much, you know”, he said.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to –“, Jongdae quickly said. “Look, if it was you who had been wounded that badly, I would react like that. I would be beyond angry”, Jongdae said then quietly. “Really? You would run around to revenge me getting hurt?” Minseok asked and laughed. “I can hardly imagine that”.  
Jongdae looked away. “Let’s go”, he said and walked ahead. Minseok quickly followed him. “Okay, what is it now?” Minseok asked.  
“Why?” Jongdae asked still not looking at him. “I said something that upset you”, Minseok stated plainly.  
“Maybe”, Jongdae said. “What about it was wrong?” Minseok asked. Jongdae shook his head.  
“Doesn’t matter, I am not expecting anything else and I am used to it. You’ve always been like that”, Jongdae said.

Minseok grabbed his arm almost too hard and Jongdae was pushed against a wall. The street in front of the hospital was rather empty, only a few cars passing now and then.  
“No, you have to tell me”, Minseok demanded grimly. “If you don’t break my arm”, Jongdae started. Minseok let go immediately.  
“Jian already told you, so you should know”, Jongdae said angrily and looked away. “Jian? What did he say?” Minseok asked.  
“You have fantastic memory, use it”, Jongdae said.  
When he looked at Minseok, he saw how Minseok was eying him carefully, apparently thinking hard.  
“He said a lot of things, I don’t know how that would relate to me saying something that would upset you”, Minseok said then.  
“Minseok, you’re too close”, Jongdae murmured. “And I don’t really want to say it out loud now”, he added. Minseok looked confused.  
“So then later?” he asked. “Yeah, if the timing is better”, Jongdae said vaguely and walked ahead. They had to climb up the steep side walk and he felt Minseok’s eyes on him for the next few minutes.

*

Kyungsoo was tired, he was so tired of it all. They had went through all the things he had done and it was a long list. He felt like it was a list of deeds for more than one life. He was a criminal after all.

“Mr Do”, the judge said. He looked up. “Yes?” he said exhausted.

“So far, we could follow all your actions and reasons for committing those deeds. But one thing still does not add up. Why did you kill the soldier in your hometown? It was no act of self-defence”, the judge said.  
“I already told you, I had to free Jongin. They wanted to kill him and to get him out there”, Kyungsoo said.  
“But you did not kill him in a fight, Mr Do. You shot him in the head”, the judge said.

It was very quiet in the room. Kyungsoo groaned exasperated. “He was holding Jongin so that I could kill him. They had ordered us to kill an Aureum Luscus after torturing him for fun! He was a trained soldier who had a weapon, I had no other choice!” Kyungsoo called. “I was standing there and he waited for me to kill Jongin. What would you have done?”  
The thought of Jongin was still painful and he had to force himself everytime to say his name out loud.

At the first break during the trial, he had managed to catch snippets of conversations in the audience and between police men. It seemed like all camps had officially been closed down and the fights in camp two had been ended entirely. All Aureum Luscus that had still been at the camps had been brought to the city to be treated at a hospital. But he had no way to find out whether Jongin was amongst them. It had started back at his hometown when he had met Jongin and had first talked to him, watched him. And Junmyeon had told him that they had mistreated Jongin and he had just thought the only right thing to do was to free Jongin. He had not been able to think straight about any consequences. Then at the shelter, he had discovered how Jongin had meant much more to him than he had thought. It had taken him until Jongin had touched his face for the first time to realise what he felt for him. And it had been Junmyeon who had told him the reality so coldly into his face. He should have gone with Jongin’s group, he should have been at camp two. He should have done the same as Junmyeon, ditch the group to save the last one you had in your life to love. He felt like the entire weight of everything that had happened crushed down on him at once.

“Mr Do?”  
He snapped out of his deep thoughts and realised that he was crying.

“It was the only right thing to do at that moment. I had to save him and I would do it over and over again. Not because I wanted to take someone else’s life, I’ve dreamt about this soldier night for night. I will never forget his face because he was just as much of a victim of the town’s brainwashing as I had been before that. But he – Jongin – he did not ask to be born the way he was, he has done nothing wrong and yet he was captured like an animal and caged in, tortured and sentenced to death. I won’t ever forget his face either, the way he looked at me when he realised that I wanted to help him and free him. These yellow-eyed people are not cold-hearted killing-machines, he was grateful and –“, Kyungsoo stopped.  
He let his head drop down, he was fighting too much with his tears. - _And I just want to see him one more time_. He could not say that out loud.  
The jury left to discuss and Kyungsoo was waiting in a small room. He buried his face in his knees and hoped no one looked at him because he could no longer hold it in anymore.  
The jury took their time and it was already evening and turning dark when they all went back into the courtroom. Kyungsoo felt completely drained of every last bit of strength and emotion, he just stood there and thought, it didn’t even matter what punishment they would give him, he would accept it.

“The jury finds Mr Do Kyungsoo not guilty of all charges as they contributed to a greater good and were not committed out of malice. The defendant has shown clear remorse of the murder of the solider. Furthermore he has already spent time in prison”, the young man of the jury said.  
The audience got excited and the judge had to call for order before he cleared Kyungsoo of all charges. Feeling a bit dizzy and confused, Kyungsoo was allowed to leave. He was not quite sure where to go but to his surprise someone was already waiting for him outside the court room.

“Jongdae! Minseok!” he called. Jongdae waved and smiled. “I did not expect you guys to – did you also have court trials?” Kyungsoo asked overwhelmed. Jongdae nodded.  
“But ours were last week and we got cleared immediately. Well, Minseok had barely walked in and they cleared him”, Jongdae said.  
“But I was sure they would clear you, too. Everyone is a big fan of you, wait until you get outside. A huge crowd awaits you”, Jongdae said.

The two filled in Kyungsoo on their way out. “Oh, by the way since you were staying with Junmyeon, you don’t have a place of your own to sleep, right?” Jongdae asked.  
Kyungsoo nodded. “You can sleep over at my place”, Jongdae offered. “You have a place?” Kyungsoo asked.  
Jongdae nodded. “Sure, I grew up in the city after all. The house is big enough for a couple of us to stay there. We’ve got already Kenta and Shaila staying there, there is enough room for you as well. Minseok and I won’t be home tonight anyways”, Jongdae said.  
“Huh? Where are you going?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“We’re still looking for a few people, you know. When Kenta opened the gate, many of us just ran into the city and we don’t know where they are. We’ve got about 3 left to find”, Jongdae explained.  
Minseok looked strangely absent and reserved. Kyungsoo was glad that the two were accompanying him because Jongdae had been right, there was a huge crowd outside of the court. But he was also wrong in one point, not everyone was a fan. He saw a few signs that said: MURDERER!

Jongdae brought Kyungsoo to a small house close to the ocean. The building looked similar to Baekhyun’s home. A bit rough and narrow but on contrast to Baekhyun’s home, this place was not bright and warm. It looked just as rough inside, the wall’s paint was already cracking and the white was a pale grey. The floor was uneven and it looked rather dusty. But Kyungsoo guessed that no one had been taking care of the house during his absence. On the ground floor were a kitchen, a small bathroom and something like a living room, upstairs was a bedroom and a tiny broom cupboard. The living room was occupied by Kenta and Shaila. Shaila had been badly wounded but did not trust the doctors of the hospital and had freaked out. After various attempts of murdering the nurses, she had been brought to Jongdae’s house. Kenta was trying his best to keep her alive but she needed proper treatment. Sean was desperately needed and not only by Shaila. Kyungsoo wished he could have asked her about camp two but she was in no state to answer questions. Adding to that, Kyungsoo thought, if she was in that state in what state would Jongin be if he was alive?

The bedroom was also rather sparsely equipped, there was just a bed and a closet. The tiny broom cupboard was a storage room for weapons as Jongdae told him, however they had been confiscated during his absence as it seemed. Jongdae rolled out a futon on the floor.  
“You can have the bed if you want, I can sleep on the futon later”, Jongdae said.  
“And you?” Kyungsoo asked Minseok. Minseok shrugged. “I don’t need much sleep and then I can sleep on the floor”, he said.  
Kyungsoo took a shower and just as he went upstairs he saw Jongdae and Minseok leaving. “Hey, wait a second”, Kyungsoo called.  
“Could you – do me a favour?” Kyungsoo asked quietly. Minseok frowned. “What is it?”  
Kyungsoo’s hand clenched around the wet towel. “Can I join you guys? I need to look for Jongin”, Kyungsoo said.  
Jongdae clapped his shoulder. “You get some sleep first. We’re keeping our eyes open, okay? You should not go outside too soon as well. You’re a bit famous by now”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo bit his lip but nodded.  
When he got upstairs into bed, he decided to go outside tomorrow. He would go and see Junmyeon. If all it took in this city to take advantage of your connections, he would use it by all means.

*

“If I was a police officer and I simply had gotten my damn licence back this would be all so much easier”, Jongdae complained.  
“Well, why not go and ask if you can have it back? Next to Kyungsoo, you are one of their heroes, aren’t you?” Minseok muttered.  
They were climbing the steep street up the hill to the district where politicians and important people lived. Junmyeon’s house was close, too.  
“It is not that easy”, Jongdae said wiped his forehead. It was late in the night but tonight was unusually hot for winter. “I am not important enough to make such demands”.

Minseok looked to the left where a handsome white house shone through the night. “I am sure Junmyeon has that sort of influence”, Minseok said.  
“I am not going to ask that asshole for anything!” Jongdae burst out. Minseok frowned slightly.  
“Maybe I should. Or I could go in and demand it in exchange for not telling the city that their new favourite up and coming governor was involved in that experiments”, Jongdae growled.  
“You were, too”, Minseok said simply. Jongdae stopped.  
They had reached the top of the street and it split up into three roads leading to different houses. Jongdae looked at him, his heart had skipped a beat, an uncomfortable feeling spread in his chest.  
“That is true but I did not plan any experiments or wanted them to happen”, Jongdae said. “And I tried my best to not hurt anyone”.  
Minseok’s yellow eyes were glowing in the dark night. They resembled the ocean of light dots underneath them. “I’m sorry, Minseok”, Jongdae said quietly and looked away.  
“What for?” Minseok asked. Jongdae turned away. “For not doing better”, Jongdae muttered.  
“What do you mean?” Minseok asked.  
Jongdae turned around again and looked at Minseok with despair. “Sometimes I thought it was us, the ordinary humans that were the real monsters in there. We were way more cruel and brutal than any of you have ever been”, Jongdae said.  
There was a gentle breeze and Jongdae sighed at the cool refreshment. He shortly closed his eyes. He was so tired and exhausted. When he opened his eyes again, Minseok had stepped closer. He had a serious expression on his face. “I told you I forgive you… Jongdae, is now a good time to tell me?” Minseok asked then. Jongdae blinked confused.  
“Huh? For what?”

Minseok frowned. “I said something that upset you. You did not want to say the reason out loud”, Minseok said. Jongdae opened his mouth. “Oh”.  
He breathed out and looked away. Minseok shrugged. “Wasn’t it you who said I should try to understand the whole human relationships and emotions thing by asking questions? How am I supposed to understand if you don’t explain?” Minseok asked. Jongdae looked at him.  
“But you already know… you know I would do – anything to… to help you”, Jongdae said ending differently than he had wanted to.  
“You know why”, Jongdae added and looked away. Minseok eyed him for a while.  
“Actually, I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to ask you why you helped me escape and why you always tried to take over other guards’ duties to watch me”, Minseok said then.

Jongdae stretched and clenched his hands as he looked over the wide glittering city lights in the night. “Because I love you”, he said then.  
It was quiet except for the distant noise of the city. Then Jongdae turned his head to look at Minseok’s reaction. Minseok had said nothing and Jongdae had been scared of his reaction although he halfway had expected none either way. Minseok was looking at him as if he was thinking very hard, then just as Jongdae looked at him he stepped close and kissed him. Jongdae stepped back and stared at Minseok.  
“That’s what you did last time when you said that”, Minseok said as if he was trying to explain. Jongdae shortly closed his eyes.  
“I – I didn’t think you would remember that”, Jongdae murmured and touched his lips.  
“Why should I not?” Minseok asked.  
“You were completely drugged and not yourself then”, Jongdae murmured.  
“I was completely myself just with a few more hormones and feelings thanks to the drug cocktail they gave me”, Minseok said. “The drugs never did anything to my memories”, he added. “That makes it worse”, Jongdae murmured.  
“Why?” Minseok asked. Jongdae took a deep breath and let the air escape his mouth slowly. He covered his eyes.  
“I took advantage of the drugs, you were completely high on them and I could not hold myself back. You never gave your consent to what happened”, Jongdae murmured into his hands. “I am ashamed of that”.  
Minseok was quiet for a few seconds and then laughed. “No one ever asked us for our opinion ever. But if that’s burdening you so heavily, I did not mind”, Minseok said. Jongdae looked at him. “Why would I? I would have definitely put up a fight had I not wanted it”, Minseok said. “I am always perfectly honest with you”.

Jongdae reached out his hand and then stopped midway but Minseok did not move back. Jongdae touched Minseok’s face, his fingertips trembled against his cheekbone.  
“It’s alright, Minseok. You don’t have to pretend any feelings that you do not have. I know that they are not there”, Jongdae whispered.  
“You don’t look alright however”, Minseok said plainly.  
“I know I could never be with you in the way I wanted to. I accepted that long ago”, Jongdae said and turned away.  
“Why would you still then avenge me?” Minseok asked.  
“Because you cannot force love where there is none but neither can you make it go away by will alone”, Jongdae said and walked ahead. “So don’t mention it again. I can live with it”.

They were walking in silence to Dr Kim’s house that was now Junmyeon’s. Nothing had changed much, the garden and house looked the same as the night they had sneaked up here to kill Dr Kim. Jongdae rang the doorbell this time however and the front gate was opened by a tall young man dressed in green.  
“Oh, good evening. Are you here for your appointment with Dr Kim Junmyeon?” he asked Minseok. Minseok frowned and looked at Jongdae.  
“Appointment?” Jongdae asked. The young man looked politely confused.  
“Yes, every Aureum Luscus is invited to get an individual examination and review with Dr Kim Junmyeon”, he said.  
“An individual examination?” Jongdae asked, feeling his heartrate go up.  
“That is correct, Jongdae. Thank you, Eric, they are my guests. Jongdae, Minseok, come in, please”. Junmyeon was sweeping into the entrance hall from down the stairs. He waved them over to the dining room. “Have a seat”, Junmyeon offered.

Jongdae and Minseok sat down. “So what is this all about?” Jongdae asked.  
“It has been a secret but I have been researching. I found that every Aureum Luscus was treated the same with the premise of them having no feelings. This was said to be due to the lack of hormones which their body did not produce. I researched and realised every Aureum Luscus has to be examined individually and receive their individual diagnosis”, Junmyeon said. “We got individually examined”, Minseok said.  
“Yes, but they looked at you with fixed premises. May I have a word with you, Minseok? Under four eyes”, Junmyeon said. “Yeah”, Minseok said. Jongdae got up.  
“Feel free to go upstairs into the library and wait for me”, Junmyeon said. Jongdae frowned but left the room where Eric was waiting for him.  
“The library?” Jongdae asked. Eric nodded. “I’ll take you there”.

Minseok crossed his arms. “So?” he asked. Junmyeon leaned forward a little.  
“I think I have found the reason for your problem”, Junmyeon said. Minseok raised his eyebrows. “My problem?”  
Junmyeon nodded. “Minseok, hardly any of you are mutated monsters that cannot feel like a human being. Most of you are absolutely able to produce those hormones that you were said to be lacking. To be sure of course, I would need to examine you. It isn’t much that I have to do. I will take a bit of blood and do an MRI of your head”, Junmyeon said.  
“You want to be able to feel things, don’t you? I know about Jongdae, you want to know what you would feel for him if you were able to feel normally”, Junmyeon said.  
Minseok tensed up. “Well, I am not normal”, Minseok said through gritted teeth.  
“Well, you might have mutated genes, that is true. But you are not a monster or abnormal. You do not have to do this examination, it is your decision. I won’t force anyone who doesn’t want to”, Junmyeon said. Minseok loosened his arms a bit.  
“And what would you do then? If the results show that I am able to produce these hormones and stuff?” Minseok asked.  
“Well, here it gets complicated. Obviously, the further treatment would depend on the results. And if you do not want to do my recommended treatment, you don’t have to either”, Junmyeon said. Minseok nodded and put his chin onto his hands.  
“Alright, do the tests with me”.

Eric had left Jongdae alone in the library. It was easy to tell that it contained many valuable books. Books in itself were rather valuable these days because it was hard to get paper. It was cheaper to download books to a tablet. Tablets for reading, saving pictures, songs and documents were also way handier than books. Jongdae stepped closer to the shelves and discovered incredible old books with the letters on the back of the books already gone, covers already shedding from the book. He found books in many different languages and to his surprise hardly any book in the library was written in today’s common language; the unified East Asian language. The unified language had been established after the end of the war and it had been necessary as too many different cultures and languages met as the refugees from all East Asian countries came together in the only city in East Asia. Jongdae knew that towns and especially smaller villages had kept their original languages although there had been an official ban to teach the old languages for over 40 years. In towns it was easier to ignore this ruling but growing up in the city, the only language Jongdae had learnt besides the official language of the city was English. He had to learn it at school but as soon as he knew that he wanted to join the police force he forgot about it. Jongdae ran his finger over the backs of the books and for the first time had the urge to learn some of the old languages. Jongdae walked further through the library and came to a wall where the shelves reached from the floor up to the ceiling. The backs of the books were glinting slightly, the letters were printed in gold and beautiful ornaments decorated the entire back of the books. Jongdae could not read the title and he could not identify which language it was. He was completely hypnotised by the beautiful books until a sound behind him made him jump. Jongdae whirled around and out of habit grabbed for his knife. There was no one behind him in the corridor between the bookshelves. Jongdae carefully walked around the bookshelves and two rows back. A young man was standing there, holding a gigantic book in his left arm, flipping through the pages so fast that it did not seem like he was actually reading.  
He closed the book and turned around.  
“Jongdae, a knife? Really?”  
Jongdae put the knife away. “Sean, you scared me. What are you doing here? We’ve been looking for you all over the city!” Jongdae called. Sean nodded.  
“I went from hospital to hospital to help treat those who were wounded in camp two. And I came here to look at the books about medicine”, Sean said and lifted the gigantic book in his arms.  
“Did you see Jongin?” Jongdae asked. Sean nodded.  
“Just earlier today. He is in quite the state, the people at the hospital really have no clue”, Sean mumbled.  
“Sean, Shaila is staying at my house, she refused to go to the hospital although she is dying. Can you come over as quick as possible, please?” Jongdae asked. Sean looked at Jongdae and then nodded. “Yeah, then let’s go. Why are you here by the way?” Sean asked.  
“I came here with Minseok, we had something to talk about with Junmyeon”, Jongdae explained.

They were just walking down the stairs when the doors to the dining hall opened and Junmyeon and Minseok came out. “Minseok, I found Sean”, Jongdae said. Minseok nodded at Sean. “I already told him about Shaila, he’s coming with us”, he added. Junmyeon shortly frowned.  
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning then”, Sean said to Junmyeon and the three turned to leave.  
“Jongdae, didn’t you want something from me?” Junmyeon asked.  
Jongdae hesitated. “Yes, I was cleared by court. But I still haven’t got back my job”, Jongdae said.  
“Your job?” Junmyeon asked, there was a dangerous undertone.  
“Before I was a guard at the camp, I was a regular police officer. Not everyone just inherits a fortune. I don’t have parents who can take care of me, I need a job to earn money. I let a few people stay at my house, they need that money, too”, Jongdae said.  
“Are you restructuring your home as a new shelter now?” Junmyeon asked.

Jongdae had not been particularly angry at Junmyeon for leaving them behind or anything else, he had barely gotten to know Junmyeon. He had only heard from Minseok and a few others what Junmyeon was like. But right now anger started to boil inside him.  
“I guess, Kyungsoo is staying over, too?” Junmyeon asked. Jongdae nodded stiffly.  
“Send him over tomorrow, will you?” Junmyeon said.  
“Does that mean you know why they still have not reviewed my request at the headquarters?” Jongdae asked sharply. Junmyeon looked at him.  
“Yes, no one who was involved in the entire matter is allowed to work straight away. The trials are not yet over and just because you were cleared right away doesn’t mean you are viewed as innocent or trustworthy in the eyes of the city. So why would they entrust you with an important job as the one of a police officer?” Junmyeon asked.  
“Right”, Jongdae said coolly. “Everyone involved except you of course. Heard you’re aiming for the governor’s position now. Kyungsoo was right”, Jongdae said and turned around.

He left the house, storming off so that he had already started to climb down the stairs from the hill when Minseok and Sean joined him. They went in silence back to Jongdae’s house where they let in Sean to take care of Shaila. They had just brought Sean into the living room when Minseok tapped Jongdae’s arm.  
“Let’s go outside”, he muttered. They left the house and sat down at the railing across the street. They could see the black wide ocean in front of them.  
“What is it?” Jongdae asked more aggressive than he had intended to. Minseok eyed him with a frown.  
“Everyone is so mad at Junmyeon when all he really did was looking for a proper treatment for us. He has to establish a good position to influence the decision making. We need someone of us joining into that progress and let’s be honest, Junmyeon is the only one who really can do that”, Minseok said.  
“I don’t trust him”, Jongdae said. “He is two faced”.  
Minseok shrugged. “I’m not saying you should trust him, anyone in power should not be trusted too much”, Minseok said.  
“You don’t trust anyone anyways, do you?” Jongdae muttered. Minseok did not answer after a while of listening to the constant waves rushing back and forth and distant laughter and music, Minseok swung his legs over the railing and hopped down.  
“Let’s go back. You should sleep”, Minseok said. “I’m fine”, Jongdae murmured but as he tried to jump down from the railing his body betrayed him. He had barely slept since a week and hardly eaten anything, he felt weak. He would have fallen face down onto the pavement had Minseok not caught him.  
“Are you okay?” Minseok asked. “I don’t think you’ve ever asked me such a question”, Jongdae murmured.  
“No – I, it’s fine”, Jongdae protested weakly when he felt being lifted up.  
His head rolled to the side and he leaned against Minseok’s chest, a steady and calm heartbeat was drumming against his ear. Jongdae closed his eyes and let Minseok carry him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Kyungsoo finally got cleared and Jongin is also in the city!  
> I promise they will meet soon, very very very soon *wink*
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the xiuchen development. I was super excited for Jongdae's confession  
> Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think~


	12. Eleven

When Kyungsoo woke up the next morning, the sun was already shining into the room. Dust was dancing in the sun rays that fell into the room. He had not heard anyone coming home that night so he must have slept deeply. Minseok and curled up at his side Jongdae were lying on the floor, where Jongdae had put the futon. One arm swung over Minseok’s mid and the other holding onto Minseok’s shirt. Kyungsoo’s heart clenched at the sight and he wondered whether Jongdae was struggling a lot, too. Was he holding onto the tiniest straw of hope Minseok could ever feel the same as he did?   
In front of others, Jongdae hardly ever showed his feelings for Minseok. They gave of the image of two strong soldiers, no feelings or emotions, just discipline and calmness. For all Kyungsoo had known, Jongdae could have easily passed as one of the Aureum Luscus, had he only had yellow eyes. But now that he saw how tightly he held onto Minseok, Kyungsoo thought how terribly painful it must be for Jongdae. Minseok knew that Jongdae was in love with him and yet it seemed like nothing had progressed between the two. And Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what that meant for Jongin. Would he understand if Kyungsoo told him how much he loved him? Would he understand that he had not been able to think about anything else than him for the past weeks? For the past months since meeting him?   
“Don’t be an idiot, Kyungsoo”, he murmured. You don’t even know whether he is still alive. 

Kyungsoo walked downstairs, he went to check out the kitchen but there was no food there. All he could find was an empty switched off fridge and cans with dog food that had long expired. There was no dog in the house so either the dog had died or had been given away when Jongdae had left the city. The sound of water rushing made him jump. He left the kitchen and expected Kenta to be in the bathroom but the door stood ajar and it was not Kenta who was washing his hands and arms. The sink was red from blood.  
“Sean! So they found you yesterday”, he called. Sean turned his head.   
“Ah Kyungsoo”, he said and wiped his arms.   
“I’m glad. Did you take care of Shaila?” he asked. Then he felt the blood drain from his face at Sean’s expression.   
“I could do nothing for her anymore. She should have remained at the hospital. She has lost too much blood and she had quite a few deep wounds that injured important organs. I know they like to say that but even someone like us is not immortal”, Sean said. Kyungsoo nodded.   
“Sean, have you been around in the city?” he asked then. His heart beating fast. Sean nodded.   
“Have you seen Jongin? Do you know anything about him?” Kyungsoo asked. Sean eyed him.   
“I’ve seen him. At that point he was still alive”, Sean said. Kyungsoo felt like he had been punched into the stomach.   
“You make it sound like he was on the verge of dying”, he said quietly. “He was”, Sean said.   
“Where is he now?” Kyungsoo asked palely.   
“At the Lotus hospital, it’s in the west of the city”, Sean said. Kyungsoo had already turned around when Sean stopped him.   
“Don’t bother going, they’re not letting anyone in to see him besides the doctors”, Sean said. He leaned against the door frame.   
“You have been isolated for a while in prison. You should get some updates on how the city is handling this situation before you rush into the hospital or get into trouble another time”, Sean said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“Well, then I know exactly where to go”, he muttered and took off to see Junmyeon.

It felt weird going back to the house on the hill. Last time he had run up the stairs of the steep street, he had been followed by the police, by Baekhyun and Chanyeol. He needed to find out where they were and whether they were okay. Kyungsoo wondered whether someone would actually stop him from entering but he rang the doorbell and the door was opened.  
“Kyungsoo! I mean Lieutenant Do!” Eric, one of the house staff who had helped him out many times, called, his face flushing in surprise. Kyungsoo smiled.   
“You can drop that now, I am no longer a Lieutenant”, Kyungsoo said. Eric smiled sheepish and let him in.   
“No police? I somehow thought they would suspect me of trying to do in Junmyeon”, Kyungsoo muttered. Someone laughed.   
“Ah well, I sent for you, so you were expected”, Junmyeon called. Eric quickly bowed. Kyungsoo saw Junmyeon standing in front of the living room door, next to him a tall man. He had a grim facial expression and eyed Kyungsoo suspiciously.   
“Come in”, Junmyeon said and nodded with his head.   
“What do you mean I was expected?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“Didn’t Jongdae send you over?” Junmyeon asked.   
“Jongdae? No”, Kyungsoo said confused.   
“You’re staying with him, right? I had asked him yesterday to send you over today”, Junmyeon said.   
“What was Jongdae doing here?” Kyungsoo asked instead.   
“Ah, he picked up Sean”, Junmyeon answered and opened the living room door further. “Let’s sit down”, he said. 

Kyungsoo walked through the entrance hall and entered the living room. It had changed since the last time he had been here, the furniture was different and the carpets had been exchanged. Obviously because of the blood stains and the bad memories. Junmyeon sat down on the comfortable leather chair and pointed to the chair on the other side of the small glass table. The tall man stood right beside him. Kyungsoo sat down and then eyed Junmyeon. Junmyeon had changed, too. He had not spent his past weeks in a prison and had not suffered under the anxiety and panic or the memories of killing someone.   
“You can relax Yifan, Kyungsoo won’t kill me”, Junmyeon said to the tall guy.   
“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo said lowly. Junmyeon furrowed his eyebrows and Kyungsoo looked at Yifan, who certainly did not relax and almost grinned.   
“Oh, so you hired a bodyguard to protect you. Then you are sacred of me trying to kill you?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon crossed his legs and leaned to the side, leaning on his arm.   
“Not at all, Kyungsoo. I know you still blame me for everything that happened at camp two. But let me tell you, it was me who convinced the governor to close the camp before more people died. I personally went there to get the Aureum Luscus out of there – obviously, I looked for Jongin”, Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows in disbelief.   
“You? You personally went there to get Jongin out of there?” he asked. Junmyeon tilted his head slightly.   
“Of course. I made sure they all received immediate treatment and I talked to the governor about their court trials. The Aureum Luscus can hardly be blamed for anything they have done, only few of them have really committed serious crimes in full consciousness and with full intent. Those who killed everyone at camp three for instance are on the wanted list. And they are the reason for my bodyguard, not you”, Junmyeon explained.   
“Wait, where is the difference between us taking over the camps and those who put up a fight and rioted at the camps before we arrived there? We did nothing different. We also went in there to kill the leaders of the camp. They did so, too. They just weren’t part of our group at the shelter… Is that some dumb attempt at justifying letting Kyu die? Because she killed your grandfather?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon frowned.   
“First of all, everyone was already dead when our group arrived at camp three. The leaders of the camp had been brutally tortured and murdered by a few Aureum Luscus – or so we believe. And I certainly did not let Kyu die! I don’t know how you relate those two things” Junmyeon said sharply. Kyungsoo smiled coldly.   
“Yeah sure not. You knew she was very sick and you could have helped her. But you abandoned her along with your team at the camp to come into the city to lead your new life in luxury and learn the taste of power. I doubt you had doctors checking on her after she killed your grandfather”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon lifted his chin a little.   
“Oh wait, has power already turned your head so much? Were you after your grandfather’s position and money that you were actually glad that Kyu took care of him for you?” Kyungsoo asked. Junmyeon’s hands clenched and he got up.   
“Don’t you dare to say that!” he shouted.   
“Why? Is it true? Junmyeon, you fooled me. I thought you were a good person, the only good person in this god forsaken boring town. You were the one to help Jongin escape but you had been thinking about yourself from the very start. You wanted to flee the town but you had no opportunity to do so, you were interested in the Aureum Luscus but you were smarter than the other doctors and scientists. You knew that their tests were bullshit. Once you came to the city and you had all the fantastic technical equipment and data you immediately immersed yourself in it and took over your grandfather’s role in upholding this damn experiment that cost so many people their lives and sanity. You are just as much to blame as your grandfather. The lie of doing this experiment to help people or save them from diseases is just as dumb as your excuses”, Kyungsoo hissed leaning forward. Junmyeon was red in the face.   
“I am helping them! It’s me who is offering them individual treatment and they can choose whether they want it or not. I am trying to fix the mistakes all the scientists before me have done! I tried to find the solution to their problems, I worked day and night on it. Don’t you come in here and insult me like that! I’m not doing this for power in the government or for money!” Junmyeon shouted.   
“Really? What are you doing it for then? Surely not for the Aureum Luscus, they were nothing but study objects to you”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon was shaking with anger.   
“You know, a while ago I would have believed you because I thought that you really cared for them as people. I thought you liked Kyu, I thought she meant more to you. But she never meant anything to you but an opportunity and data, right?” Kyungsoo said coolly. “Don’t present yourself as the glorious saviour”. Kyungsoo got up.   
“You are contributing to the whole system, aren’t you? After all Jongdae is still without work and no one wants to help. You sit here in your comfortable house when people out there have nothing to eat and struggle so hard. Jongdae, he cares for the Aureum Luscus. He searched the entire city for survivors and made sure they were treated well in hospitals, he took in people although he can offer nothing more than a roof over the head. You celebrate yourself as the defender and hero of the Aureum Luscus but you are doing nothing to help them. You only help yourself”, Kyungsoo said.   
Junmyeon jumped to his feet and with two steps he was in front of Kyungsoo and grabbed him by the collar.   
“You know nothing about me. You are just as egoistic as you believe me to be. You only care about yourself and Jongin. But you burden Jongin with a role he cannot fulfil because of your own feelings, so don’t tell me I am the one thinking only about myself. I am working on a treatment that will help the Aureum Luscus to feel ordinary emotions, they have been lacking so far. I am providing them with psychological treatment and I pay it for them. Don’t you dare to say I don’t care about them”, Junmyeon hissed. He winced when he felt Kyungsoo’s hand on his stomach.   
“It is not my fault for what happened at camp two. It was not my original idea to start this experiment and I am not proud of my grandfather for that either. I owe you no justification. If you came to ask for a job like Jongdae did, forget it. No one involved in the entire matter will get a job for the next years. It was my persuasion that the Aureum Luscus are exempted from that rule, they are highly skilled and deserve every redemption. They receive the proper education or may contribute their knowledge and skills to our city if they wish to. But every ordinary human is for the time being not trustworthy enough to take on a job such as the one of a police officer. I thought you would understand that a rebel who helped people break into the city cannot be excused and immediately allowed to receive such an important job concerning the security”, Junmyeon said.   
“Of course, you are also exempted from that rule”, Kyungsoo said quietly.   
“But since you have more than enough, get yourself a proper bodyguard. Not that kid who looks like you picked him up from the university sports campus for looking intimidating and tall”, Kyungsoo said. Yifan, the body guard frowned.   
“Next time check someone who gets in for weapons”, Kyungsoo said to Yifan as he stepped back from Junmyeon and let the knife he had pressed against Junmyeon’s stomach sway between his fingers. “Also, don’t allow your client so close to his guests. I could have easily stabbed him”, Kyungsoo said. Junmyeon stepped back.   
“Maybe I should have hired you to train him”, he muttered. Kyungsoo laughed and got up. “Next time we meet, you better have hired someone who trains him properly”, he said and left. 

“Junmyeon, sir, why did you not tell him -?” Yifan asked as soon as Kyungsoo had left but Junmyeon interrupted him with the wave of his hand.   
“We will wait and see. He cannot think straight as long as Jongin is dying, he either needs to get over Jongin’s death or Jongin has to survive and recover. Before that he is not ready to hear any new information regarding that”, Junmyeon said.   
“He looked straight through it”, Yifan added then. He looked embarrassed.   
“He is one of the best soldiers out there, of course, he looked through you. And he would have probably managed to kill me even if you were a trained bodyguard. I was sure he would not try to kill me. But he is right, you need training by a specialist. Not the stuff you learn at the police academy, I’ll get you a real expert”, Junmyeon said.   
Yifan stepped up to Junmyeon. “I said I would work hard to make sure no one will kill you”, Yifan called. Junmyeon did not look at him but still stared at the door through which Kyungsoo had left. “Yeah, right”, he muttered.   
“When he took out that knife…”, Yifan muttered and clenched his hands to fists. “He could have hurt you before I could have intervened”.   
Junmyeon turned around. “Oh don’t worry, I am never unarmed either”, Junmyeon said. Yifan cleared his throat. “You better keep that to yourself however”, Junmyeon added quietly. “I will”. 

*

A week later, Minseok was back at Junmyeon’s house. “How do you feel? Do you still want to do the tests?” Junmyeon asked welcoming Minseok. He nodded.   
“Good, follow me”, Junmyeon said. A tall man was constantly close, watching them like a hawk.   
“Who is that?” Minseok asked suspiciously.   
“He is aiming to become my bodyguard but he still needs a good trainer. I think the police academy is no good”, Junmyeon said. Minseok hummed.   
Junmyeon led him upstairs to the second floor which looked completely different to the rest of the house. It was sterile white and resembled a hospital. Junmyeon took Minseok who was feeling a bit tense now into the second room on the left. But to Minseok’s surprise Sean was waiting for them, he was dressed in white which shone in bright contrast to his dark skin. 

“Sean will draw some blood and then after a short break we will do the MRI, alright?” Junmyeon said. Minseok nodded. Junmyeon left the two alone.  
“Have you done this as well?” Minseok asked.   
“Junmyeon checked me through, but I did not want any treatment and he said he thinks I will do fine anyways. But I did not need his opinion for that, I just want to continue doing my job. He offered me this position and I could have hoped for nothing better. I can treat my own kind and make sure no so called doctor ever does strange experiments with us again”, Sean said. He disinfected Minseok’s arm and placed a long needle at his skin.   
“You are the doctor then who helps Junmyeon with the treatment?” Minseok asked. Sean nodded as he started to draw blood.   
They were quiet for a while and then Sean finally took the needle out and put a plaster over the puncture.   
“Okay, you can relax for a bit in the room next doors. You will receive a lunch as well. Junmyeon will pick you up in about an hour for the next test”, Sean said and took the blood sample and stored it. Minseok got up and went through the door Sean had pointed to. He found himself in a rather small but nice looking room.   
There was a bed, a comfortable sofa, a desk, a tablet to read or watch movies on, a bathroom and a filled tray with food. Minseok sat down on the sofa and started eating. He waited for a bit more than an hour, while listening intently he heard how Sean left the room and returned a while later and then someone else having their blood drawn.   
Junmyeon knocked gently on the door and led him out to the white corridor.   
“How are you feeling? Did you eat something?” he asked. Minseok nodded. “Yeah, thanks”.   
Junmyeon brought him to the room at the end of the corridor. Minseok went into a small chamber where he took off his clothes and changed into provided linen shirt and pants. He left the chamber into the actual room where Junmyeon was waiting for him.   
“You have done this before, right? Same procedure as last time”, Junmyeon said. The MRI was uncomfortably loud even though Junmyeon had given him better headphones than the ones he had had at the camp. 

When they were done, he had to go back to the waiting room. It took another hour until Junmyeon picked him up and led him down to the first floor into an office.   
“Okay, I’ve got your results here”, Junmyeon said as they had sat down.   
“I’m glad to say we can exclude any diseases and your results match my expectations. The antibody-test provides evidence to my thesis that your body builds antibodies which block receptors. So you actually produce all those hormones you were said you were lacking but because of the blocked receptors the hormones cannot unfold their effects. It seems your body has built these antibodies since you were young and thus I guess they have already destroyed several of your receptors, but don’t worry, once we stop the antibodies they can regenerate. You will receive a medicine that will suppress these antibodies. I am sorry to say that I have not yet found the right medicine to completely destroy those antibodies. As of now we can only suppress them”, Junmyeon said.   
“So if you wish to do this treatment you would have to take various pills every day, morning and evening until we find a solution to completely destroy those antibodies or your body stops producing those antibodies which might be possible as well. It is working for a few so far. They produce far less antibodies than you however”, Junmyeon said.   
Minseok looked at the small pills in the box Junmyeon was holding.   
“How do you know this works?” Minseok asked carefully.   
“To be honest, from the results of the experiment. When they did those emotion tests with you they gave you drug cocktails. You were told that they only consisted of the hormones you were lacking, but among them I found something that did not fit into the scheme. It was a certain drug that I had not heard of before, I researched it further. It took me months but I found out that someone knew about the actual reason most of you were not able to feel the same emotions as ordinary humans. That person mixed in that drug to repress the antibodies and flood your body with the hormones to achieve immediate and quick results. If you start taking these pills, the effects will take a while to kick in as we will start with a low dose. Should you decide to take the pills, I need you to come in for regular check-ups and I want you to consult a psychologist. You might experience strong mood swings and since it would be a first for you, I want to be sure a professional is keeping an eye on you”, Junmyeon said.   
Minseok leaned his chin into his hand, thinking. “And side effects?” he asked then.   
“Yes, there are always side effects. As I said you will experience mood swings and there is no guarantee on how your body will react to the pills. So either your body completely rejects them, then we have to start a different therapy. It could also be that you feel rather weak or sickly in the first weeks. But you live together with Jongdae, right? As long as you are not alone, I would not be worried”, Junmyeon said.   
“Can I stop the treatment at any point of time?” Minseok asked. Junmyeon hesitated.   
“Well, of course you can. But you cannot stop abruptly, you need to lower the dose gradually and you have to be aware of the fact that your body will then continue to build those antibodies and destroy your receptors”, Junmyeon said. Minseok nodded slowly.   
“Just one more question. Kyu took a similar drug but it killed her eventually. She got very sick from taking it”, Minseok said. Junmyeon frowned.   
“Yeah, she was oddly well informed about the drugs. The reason she got sick from it was because she took the wrong pill mixture in the wrong dose. Thus her body build various antibodies, some were built as response to the pills she took and these antibodies attacked her body. Had she been an ordinary human, she would have died very fast”, Junmyeon said. Minseok slowly nodded.  
“Alright, I will do the treatment”, he said. Junmyeon smiled. “Great”.   
They got up and made a new appointment for his first check-up and session with a psychologist.   
“One last thing, though”, Minseok said as they left the office.   
“Yeah?” Junmyeon asked, stopping in the door.   
“Your bodyguard needs proper training”, Minseok said. Junmyeon’s face relaxed and he closed the office door and stepped into the corridor to Minseok.   
“Yeah, he does”, he agreed.   
“Let Jongdae train him”, Minseok said. Junmyeon looked surprised.   
“Jongdae needs a job and he has all the skills you are looking for. He grew up in this city and knows how things work here but he worked long enough outside the city with people like me to know about real dangers. And he knows what you are really afraid of”, Minseok added. Junmyeon stopped and looked at him. “You think that someone helped out at camp three, the people who killed the leaders disappeared before Kyu and your team arrived there. You think, there are others who helped them and are hiding them now. These are the ones you fear, because unlike most of us, they have not forgotten about the Feng group. They will continue to look for them and you know very well that you will be on their hit list as well”, Minseok said.  
“That sounds as if you believe, I knew who the Feng group is or as if I was part of it”, Junmyeon said. Minseok tilted his head slightly.   
“Take it as you will. I don’t care. Give Jongdae the job, if I start the treatment I won’t be able to work. Jongdae won’t get a job because of your rule unless it is a job to work directly under you”, Minseok said. Junmyeon raised his eyebrows.   
“Jongdae will be very happy to be working directly under me”, Junmyeon said. “But alright, I will offer him the position”, he added.   
He shook hands with Minseok and Minseok left. 

 

Kyungsoo was pacing up and down in the hospital. They had finally let him in to see Jongin but no one wanted to tell him how he was or whether they had only let him in now because Jongin was dead now. Sean had not stopped by Jongdae’s house ever since treating Shaila and so Kyungsoo had received no news from him. He had called the hospital daily after the security guards had strictly prohibited him from entering the hospital after trying to visit Jongin once.   
He was waiting for half an hour now in front of Jongin’s room. Then finally the door opened and a nurse appeared.   
“Mr Do? You can see him now”, she said. Kyungsoo felt his knees go weak and he felt slightly sick with fear when he walked through the door.   
Jongin was alive and sitting on his bed, he was badly injured but he was alive. The bits of his body that were visible under his clothes were all wrapped in bandages and what seemed like hundreds of cables were attached to his body. His hair had been shaved off some time ago because it was radically short. The only injuries that were visible were a brutal cut across his throat that had been treated and seemed to be healing already and the dark bruising in his face and a scar had already appeared on the side of his face. The yellow eyes were blood-shot and looked exhausted but surprised.   
“Jongin”, Kyungsoo whispered.   
He felt like his knees were about to give in any second, he stumbled to the bed and stared at him. Jongin looked uncomfortable, it seemed that he knew what he looked like. But he said nothing, his mouth just opened and closed again. It seemed that the injury on his throat prevented him from speaking. Kyungsoo reached out his hands and took Jongin’s. “I thought you were dead”, Kyungsoo whispered. “I am – so glad, I am so, so glad that you are alive”, Kyungsoo whispered. Jongin looked surprised. Kyungsoo sat down on his bed and just held Jongin’s hands and smiled at him. He let the tears roll down his face and was satisfied just looking into Jongin’s eyes again. Jongin tugged slightly on Kyungsoo’s hand and tried to free his hand.   
“Sorry, did it hurt? I didn’t want to –“, Kyungsoo said quickly. But Jongin raised his free hand to touch Kyungsoo’s face. His dry and chapped lips twitched a little, it looked almost as if he was smiling. Kyungsoo smiled through his tears as Jongin’s thumb stroke away his tears although his hand was weak and shaky. 

 

*

Jongdae sat up abruptly, he could not tell what had woken him up but he had been pulled out of his sleep. He looked around, sweat trickling down his temples. He could not pay for air conditioning, it was only thanks to Kenta’s new job that they had money for food and other basics. They had given him a job at the security centre where he was to improve the system so no one could easily hack it again. Kyungsoo was not there and neither was Minseok. Ever since they had visited Junmyeon, Minseok had turned even more distanced and reserved. Jongdae got up and opened the bedroom door slowly. He walked down the narrow corridor and took the creaky stairs down, in the kitchen he grabbed the next knife and walked into the living room which was empty as well. The small house had improved since Kenta had gotten his job. He had bought a proper sofa to sleep on and there was no dust and broken furniture lying around anymore. Jongdae held his breath and listened hard, then just as he was convinced he had only imagined it he heard it again. It came from the bathroom, a muffled and terrible sound. Jongdae hurried over to the bathroom and tried to wrench the door open but it was locked.   
“Minseok?” he called and banged against the door. The muffled sounds of pain immediately stopped.   
“Minseok, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen? Minseok! Or is that Kyungsoo?” Jongdae called. “Minseok, please”, he said again.   
His hands were trembling against the door as he dropped the knife.   
“Is it because of Junmyeon’s therapy? Is it painful? Is it the side effects? Please, let me in. Please”, he begged.   
He waited but it stayed completely silent behind the bathroom door. He sighed and turned around. He leaned his back against the door.   
“Do you want me to go away? You haven’t talked to me for a week, Minseok”, Jongdae said. There was a soft click and he almost fell when the door opened. Minseok was standing there, dripping wet, a towel wrapped around his hips. He was pale.   
“I didn’t want to block the bathroom”, Minseok said hoarsely.   
“Are you alright?” Jongdae asked. Minseok nodded. “Sure”.   
But his hands were shaking badly and he had a hard time hiding that he could hardly stand. Jongdae stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. He grabbed another towel that was lying on the cupboard and put it around Minseok’s shoulders.   
“I’m fine!” Minseok called. Jongdae took a step back at the sudden outburst, he had never seen Minseok lash out against the guards in person but he knew that Minseok was way stronger than him and could easily hurt him.   
“You don’t look like it”, Jongdae said quietly, leaning against the cupboard. Minseok’s face immediately switched to anger.   
“Oh really? That is the damn problem! All this shit does is drain my energy to put up with anyone”, Minseok shouted.   
“You can stop the treatment, right? Junmyeon said you can stop it if you don’t want to continue”, Jongdae said. Minseok turned around suddenly and had grabbed Jongdae’s collar before he could even see it coming. Jongdae was shoved hard against the cupboard.   
“Everyone told us it is better to feel like a human, no one said it was so terrible. They called us cruel but it was them who held us captive and tortured us. Is it because it hurts so much to be human? If I really have the opportunity to choose, I’d rather be like I used to be. I do not want to feel anything, I’d rather be indifferent than feel all this crap”, Minseok hissed.   
“Well, you’re right”, Jongdae whispered.   
“Is that why you were against the treatment? You wanted to protect me from this misery?” Minseok asked with a sneer.   
“Yes and also”, Jongdae said and looked away which was hard because Minseok was still holding him.   
“Also because I can handle your indifference for me but I cannot see you suffer like this”, Jongdae said. Minseok looked at him, he furrowed his brows and then let go of him. They were quiet for a long time and then finally they silently agreed to leave the sticky bathroom. Jongdae put the knife back into the kitchen which Minseok did not comment on.   
They went upstairs where Minseok got dressed, then they sat in the bedroom at the open window.   
“Since when?” Minseok broke the silence. Jongdae flinched.   
“Huh?” he asked. Minseok looked at him.   
“Since when are you in love with me?” he asked.   
Jongdae pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away. He jumped again when he felt something on his neck. When he turned he saw how Minseok was very carefully stroking over neck. When he pulled his hand back Jongdae saw blood on his fingertips.   
“I’m sorry”, Minseok said quietly.   
“It doesn’t hurt, I didn’t even realise I was hurt”, Jongdae brushed it off.   
“Junmyeon warned me that I might experience mood swings. I thought I would turn into a weak cry baby from time to time, I didn’t expect it would throw me back to the person I used to be. I am more like my 10 year old self, I was always so angry, impulsive. I didn’t want to hurt you, I never wanted that”, Minseok said. Jongdae didn’t know what to say.   
“Do you think it will get better over time?” Jongdae asked.   
“I don’t know”, Minseok muttered, wiping the blood from his fingertips.   
“Why did you even want that treatment?” Jongdae asked.   
“To confirm something”, Minseok answered looking out the window.   
“What? Just to confirm something? Don’t tell me to confirm that you are really human because you should know that you are and you were before that treatment. You shouldn’t change yourself for others”, Jongdae said. Minseok looked at him.  
“That’s not it”, Minseok said.   
“What is it then?” Jongdae asked.   
“I wanted to know what I would feel if I were able to feel like everyone else”, Minseok said. Jongdae opened his mouth.   
“What kind of confirmation is that?” he asked.   
“The way you would see me, the way I would see you. I wanted to know whether it would change”, Minseok said then. Jongdae frowned.   
“What do you mean?” he asked. His heart skipped a beat, he could not tell what Minseok was thinking. Minseok rubbed his temples and shook his head.   
“Forget it”, he muttered. 

Jongdae slid closer and pulled Minseok’s hands away from his face. He knew he shouldn’t, he had sworn himself to leave it behind but he could not resist. He touched Minseok’s cheek and trailed over his jaw line, he leaned in but reminded himself he could not and pulled back. He hesitated because Minseok did not move, his yellow eyes were watching him calmly and so he just kissed him. He moved his lips very gently against Minseok’s and he could hardly breathe from excitement and nervousness. Then he felt how Minseok’s lips parted and the gasp that escaped him was swallowed by Minseok. Minseok had never kissed him back but now his lips moved with Jongdae’s. For a few glorious moments he felt like flying or dreaming, then he pulled back and opened his eyes. But it was true, Minseok was sitting right in front of him, so close to him. He was looking back at him.   
“Your heart is beating really fast”, Minseok murmured. Jongdae almost laughed. “Of course it is”.   
Minseok’s hand was pressed gently against Jongdae’s chest.   
Minseok closed his eyes and he saw them razor-sharp. The memories. The beeping sound of the machine behind him, the cables stuck to his head and chest, Jongdae who pulled them all off him, hectically looking over his shoulder, his warm hands, how Jongdae leaned over the monitor and manipulated the data, when he kissed him for the first time. Quickly, breathless, fear in his eyes.

“I thought I could start this treatment and learn to live an ordinary life”, Minseok said. “You lived here before, to you it was returning home. But I have no home, I don’t know how to forget the things I have done and seen. Letting me feel things, makes them worse”, Minseok said quietly and pulled his hand back.   
“I was already wondering when you would want to leave the city because of that”, Jongdae said.   
“I don’t know where to go or what I would do then. There is no purpose to my life, no reason for me to exist. I was a study object, an experiment. Once the experiment is over what do you need that object for then?” Minseok asked.   
“Don’t say that”, Jongdae said horrified. But Minseok wasn’t listening.   
“Once we came to this city and lived here for a while we all understood that. I asked Junmyeon about my brother and Kyu’s sister”, Minseok said.   
“You – you have a brother? And Kyu has a sister?” Jongdae asked puzzled.   
“The first one, number one. Luhan, he was my brother. And number two, she was Kyu’s sister. They both lived in the city, Kyu’s sister died very early on. In their eyes she was a failure because she could not speak and she never showed any reactions. But she was a very talented artist, I saw her pictures in Junmyeon’s home. I needed to know how they lived in the city, what they had been doing. If they had a purpose outside of the experiment then I could have too”, Minseok said. Jongdae looked at him tensely.   
“Is that the confirmation you had been looking for?” Jongdae asked. Minseok half nodded half shrugged.   
“And what had they been doing?” Jongdae asked although he did not want to ask. Minseok talking about them in past tense could mean nothing good.   
“Kyu’s sister was found dead just a week after she had been brought to the city. My brother lived in the city for 7 years, he was called a prince. He got everything he wanted, he was just never allowed to leave the house. He was held a prisoner just the way we had been, he had never left the experiment. He was just the remarkable evidence and example that it was possible for people like us to live amongst others without killing everyone off”, Minseok said.   
“But what happened then?” Jongdae asked. Minseok shrugged.   
“He committed suicide, just a week before we broke into the city. That’s all Junmyeon told me about them”. Jongdae grabbed Minseok’s arm.   
“Living isn’t easy and not everyone who is living their life until the end has a purpose. People who have a purpose want to die. A purpose can be a burden, a very heavy burden to carry. So don’t throw away your life because you cannot see a life outside the prison and the experiment you had been locked up in just yet”, Jongdae said.   
“Why lead a life without a purpose? What do you do with your life if there is no purpose?” Minseok asked. Jongdae clenched his hand around Minseok’s arm.   
“I fought for you, I did everything to get you out of there! I wanted you to be free, I wanted you to live and to live long. If you want a purpose, here it is! Fulfil the purpose I gave you when I helped you escape from the camp”, Jongdae called.   
“You are so upset again”, Minseok muttered and loosened Jongdae’s grip on his arm. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before”. 

Jongdae turned away and wiped away his tears. He was angry at himself, Minseok was right. It had to be years since he had let himself go that much.   
“I didn’t say anything hurtful to you. Why are you crying?” Minseok asked. Jongdae turned around and grabbed Minseok’s shirt.  
“Because I am angry!” Jongdae called. “Because it is unbearable”. Minseok looked confused.   
“I’m sick and tired of pretending”, Jongdae whispered.   
“Pretending what?” Minseok asked.   
“Pretending that everything I’ve seen doesn’t cause me nightmares. Pretending that I am okay. Pretending that I don’t love you or that I can live with it. I can’t, I can’t do it. When you started the treatment there was this stupid little bit of hope that you could feel the same. But I was just so stupid”, Jongdae burst out and then his words got lost.   
“Then stop pretending”, Minseok said. Jongdae took a shaky breath.   
“Minseok, it isn’t that easy”, he said exhausted. Minseok opened his mouth.   
“Jongdae, I want to try it”, he said.   
Jongdae frowned. “Huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter - if you celebrate that... if not: Happy Kaisoo reunion, I guess..? ^^  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of Kyungsoo's and Jongin's reunion and the Xiuchen development 
> 
> Thank you again for all the kudos you guys left!! I appreciate that so much ♥


	13. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the reunion of Jongin and Kyungsoo was very short, so here we go  
> Enjoy~

Since Kyungsoo had been allowed to see Jongin, he had hardly left his side. He helped him eat which Jongin had always refused to let the nurses do.   
Only a couple of days after Kyungsoo had been allowed to see him, he convinced a nurse to let him take Jongin out for a walk. Jongin was not happy about being put into a wheelchair but he could not complain other than looking grimly. Once he was outside and they sat in the palm tree garden of the hospital, he relaxed and smiled at Kyungsoo once again. Kyungsoo had told Jongdae that he would spend his days at the hospital to be there for Jongin. Kyungsoo did not only spend as much time with Jongin as possible because he was scared of losing him again but also because it had gotten unbearable to live at Jongdae’s place. Minseok had started Junmyeon’s treatment but it had turned him into an even more distanced and grim person. Jongdae who never showed any feelings of being hurt or disappointed when Kyungsoo was around contributed to the cold silence in the house. But the silence was filled with an uncomfortable tension, Kyungsoo could see that Minseok was only struggling to cope. He often left the house in the middle of the night or early in the morning. Once Kyungsoo had come home late from the hospital and had found Minseok and Kenta outside the house. 

“What exactly are we doing here, Kenta? Don’t tell me you can really live like this”, Minseok had said. Kenta did not answer for a long time.   
“What else is there then for us? Even if we find the Feng group… I’ve done my best to find information on them and so have the others who have a job. But it seems we all have somehow lost our goal. What would happen after that?” Kenta had asked.   
“In this world there is no place for us to live”, Minseok had said. “We all know that, all of our kind know that we do not belong here. We’re not supposed to live an ordinary life”. Kenta had sighed. “But I don’t want to kill anymore. I don’t want to do that anymore. Are we really just here to kill those who were unjust to us and then – go and disappear?”   
At that Kyungsoo’s heart had clenched painfully. What if Jongin thought so too? 

Jongin’s recovery was slow and hard, with Sean’s and Kyungsoo’s help however he made a quicker progress than before. Sean provided the hospital with a tranquilising drug so they could perform the necessary surgeries on Jongin. Before no narcoleptic had been strong enough or worked on Jongin. But even though they did their best, it seemed like Jongin’s vocal chords had been damaged very badly. The doctors were not optimistic that he could regain his ability to speak. 

One week had passed since he had seen Jongin for the first time again and the situation at Jongdae’s house had considerably worsened, so Kyungsoo was working on a good strategy to convince the nurses that they would let him stay for the night with Jongin. Kyungsoo was greeted by the nurses and he smiled at them, one of them giggled. He knocked against Jongin’s room’s door and opened the door.   
“Hi, Jongin. It’s me and I have news for you – well, I wanted to ask you first before I –“, Kyungsoo said while entering but stopped. The room was empty.   
“Jongin?” he asked into the empty room. He whirled around and stormed out into the corridor.   
“Where is he?” he shouted and grabbed the next nurse that was unfortunate enough to just come out of another room. She gasped.   
“W-Who?” she stuttered choked.   
“Jongin! Where is he?” Kyungsoo called.   
“Sir, what are you doing?” someone shouted. Kyungsoo was pulled away from the nurse.   
“Where is Jongin?” Kyungsoo kept calling. A doctor opened the door to Jongin’s room and returned.   
“He is really gone”, he said.   
“He was supposed to have another test just an hour ago but I don’t know who was supposed to pick him up for it”, another nurse said with widened eyes.   
“I’ll search for him”, Kyungsoo said.  
A few nurses also joined in and they looked through the entire hospital without finding a trace of Jongin. Kyungsoo continued looking at the roof and in the basement, eventually he had to admit that Jongin was no longer in the hospital.   
“Did you find him?” one of the nurses called as she saw him standing in the corridor. Kyungsoo shook his head.   
“Where could he have gone?” the nurse murmured. Kyungsoo was looking out the window.   
“Maybe outside?” the nurse asked. Kyungsoo watched the palm trees swaying lazily in a breeze. He opened his mouth and quickly turned around.   
“I’ll look outside”, he muttered while he hurried down the corridor. He rushed out into the hospital garden but he could only spot a few patients, no Jongin. 

It was quiet, a few birds tweeting, the wind in the trees and a very very quiet and distant other sound. Water. Kyungsoo threw a glance over his shoulder and then climbed over the tidy flower beds, he walked between the palm trees and thorn bushes. The thorns ripped his clothes and tore over his arms but he continued until the bushes stopped and a small river appeared. It grew broader further downstream near the street leading away from the hospital but here it was just a small stream surrounded by thick bushes and large rocks. And Kyungsoo had guessed right, Jongin was crouching right at the stream. It felt like a strange déjà vu when Jongin turned around. He had found Jongin at the little oasis in the desert and he had squatted there just like he was crouching here at the stream. 

“Hey, what happened?” Kyungsoo asked. “It’s alright, I’m alone here. It’s just me”, Kyungsoo said gently. “And this time no tranquiliser, right?” he added because he felt that Jongin, too had remembered their first meeting. “They told me you had another test. Did they do something that scared you? Was it painful?” Kyungsoo asked and stopped. Jongin just eyed him.   
“Can I – Can I come closer?” Kyungsoo asked carefully. Jongin nodded and Kyungsoo slowly walked over to him and sat down next to him.   
“Did they hurt you?” he asked and looked into the stressed yellow eyes.   
“It’s alright, Jongin”, Kyungsoo whispered and opened his arms. “I will stay with you, so I can make sure they will only do things to help you get healthy again. I won’t let them do experiments with you ever again”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin’s eyes were scanning the surroundings but he seemed to be satisfied that they were really alone.   
“Promise?” he whispered. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened in surprise. Jongin’s voice was terribly hoarse and he had hardly understood him but his voice was there.   
“Promise”, Kyungsoo whispered and reached out his hand to touch Jongin’s cheek. His wounds on his face had healed and the bruising had turned paler.   
“Should we go back so you can lie down again? I thought your ribs were injured”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin shook his head.   
“You don’t want to go back?”   
Jongin shook his head again. “Okay, then let’s stay here”, Kyungsoo murmured. He turned so that he was facing Jongin who was still crouching in that alert position.   
“Remember when we ran away from my town? In the car?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded. 

Kyungsoo waited until Jongin crawled between his legs and lay against Kyungsoo’s chest. He did not put his arms around Jongin because Kyungsoo knew that Jongin did not like to be held tightly. Instead he put his hands behind him to support himself and enjoyed Jongin’s weight against his chest. They stayed there until it got dark, then Kyungsoo carefully nudged him.   
“Jongin, let’s go back okay? I will stay with you tonight, I will stay with you in that room, okay?” he whispered. Jongin got up and looked at Kyungsoo’s arms.   
“What happened?” he muttered. Kyungsoo who had already forgotten about the cuts looked at his arms.   
“Oh, well I was looking for you and took the short cut through the bushes”, he said and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.   
“How did you know I was here?” Jongin asked as he walked ahead downstream. Kyungsoo blinked.   
“I – I don’t know. I had a feeling you would go to the next water source”, Kyungsoo said.   
They stopped, the thorn bushes to their left had opened into a patch of red-brown earthy ground, a few metres further there was the street. Jongin was looking up into the sky, it was dark enough here to see the stars. But Kyungsoo could only look at Jongin, his outline against the dark sky, his gleaming yellow cat-like eyes. For some reason he felt a strange pain inside his chest at this sight. Jongin turned his head, apparently he had noticed Kyungsoo’s eyes on him. Kyungsoo stepped closer to Jongin, not yet sure what was going to happen next. Jongin said nothing but just looked back at him with the same blank unreadable expression he had given him during their time at the shelter.   
“Let’s go back”, Kyungsoo said into their silence, gulping down the words that had almost slipped past his lips.   
Kyungsoo brought Jongin back to the hospital and told the nurse he would stay for the night to keep an eye on Jongin and she did not even object. Jongin’s bed was small and not very comfortable but taking that they had slept on the floor often enough, it was good enough. They had only ever once slept this close before and that had been during the car ride as they fled from the town. The lights in the room had been turned off and it was quiet on the corridor. They were both still awake and lying on the same pillow, their faces were very close. Kyungsoo did not know where to put his arms so he buried one arm underneath himself, while lying on the side. He was just wondering whether he should dare to put his other arm onto Jongin’s shoulder when Jongin raised his own hand and put it onto Kyungsoo’s cheek. He slid a bit closer and Kyungsoo taken by surprised, inched back a little. But then their eyes met again and Kyungsoo put his free hand onto Jongin’s cheek and let it trail down to his lips. His heart was racing against his chest but he forced himself to look up again into Jongin’s eyes.   
“Good night, Jongin”, he whispered and lifted his hand from Jongin’s lips. He rested his hand in between the tiny space between their chests. 

The next morning, Kyungsoo insisted on being with Jongin during the next test which turned out to be an MRI and Kyungsoo understood why Jongin had panicked. The tube would give him the feeling of being trapped. Kyungsoo sat in the room with the nurses and spoke through a microphone into the headphones Jongin was wearing.   
“I’m still here, okay? It’s alright, they’re not doing something crazy. I’m keeping an eye on them, too”, Kyungsoo reassured Jongin constantly.   
After the MRI, Jongin was brought back to his room where Sean surprised them with a visit. He gave Jongin a few medicaments which Jongin took without objection and he fell asleep almost instantly. “He refuses to take the medicaments from the doctors. He would have made more progress if he had taken the medicaments”, Sean said grimly.   
“Are the medicaments safe to take?” Kyungsoo asked. Sean raised his eyebrows. “Of course, they are”.   
Kyungsoo nodded. “Then I will give him the medicaments, if he gets them from me, he will take them. He doesn’t trust the doctors enough”, Kyungsoo said. Sean glanced at his watch. “Okay, I will drop by next week again. If he takes his medicaments he will be able to leave soon”, Sean said.   
“Sean”, Kyungsoo said and got up. Sean stopped and looked at him.   
“I heard Junmyeon found a treatment that could help you to regain the ability to feel the way, you know, ordinary people do”, Kyungsoo said. Sean frowned.   
“Yeah, I’m treating those who are doing the therapy”, Sean said.   
“Is it working?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“Are you asking because you want Jongin to join?” Sean asked. Kyungsoo shook his head.   
“That would be his decision and right now, he is in no state to do such a therapy. I’m asking because Minseok has made no progress at all. I’d say the treatment made everything worse”, Kyungsoo said. Sean sighed.   
“Kyungsoo, the only thing this therapy does is helping the hormones actually unfold their effect. This effect had been blocked before. The therapy does not change one’s personality or character”, Sean said. Kyungsoo nodded. Sean was almost at the door when he stopped and turned around again.   
“Also, I don’t think Jongin would need the therapy”, he said. Kyungsoo frowned. “What do you mean?”   
Sean shrugged. “We haven’t examined everyone obviously but it seems not everyone has those antibodies. Or at least they don’t produce as many as others. Minseok on the other hand produces a lot, he produces the most so far”, Sean said. “Someone who doesn’t produce many antibodies that stop hormones to unfold their effect, can feel like a normal human being. Most of us just never learnt what that’s like”, Sean said.   
Kyungsoo nodded. “Thank you”.   
Sean frowned. “What for?”   
Kyungsoo smiled. “I just hope that all these treatments and therapies end soon, I cannot bear watching you guys suffer through more pain”, Kyungsoo said. 

 

Jongin woke up in the middle of the night, Kyungsoo was sitting by his bed, his feet supported against the bed frame. “Jongin”, Kyungsoo said when he noticed that Jongin was awake.   
“How do you feel?” he asked and sat up. Jongin touched his throat.   
“Are you thirsty?” Kyungsoo asked and quickly poured him a glass of water. Jongin took it and drank slowly, then he gave it back to Kyungsoo. He looked at him.   
“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked and put the glass onto the bedside table.   
“Yeah”, Jongin murmured. Then Kyungsoo got up and sat onto Jongin’s bed. To his surprise he saw something like relief on Jongin’s face.   
“Do you want me to sleep here again?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin slid to the side to make some space as an answer. Kyungsoo slipped under the blanket. They lay awake together side by side for a long time, but this time Kyungsoo was lying on his back looking at the ceiling.   
“Maybe we can go out again soon, we can go to the river or to see the stars”, Kyungsoo said quietly. Jongin nodded and hummed.   
“And if you recover fully, we can go to the ocean. Have you ever seen the ocean, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“No, never”, Jongin said.   
“It’s beautiful. It fills the entire horizon, the air tastes like salt and the waves rush back and forth to the shore”, Kyungsoo described it. Jongin hummed again.   
“I can show you the park in front of the university, there is a large river, too”, Kyungsoo continued. He turned his head and caught Jongin looking at him.   
“Jongin?” – “Yes?”   
Kyungsoo’s heart was hammering so fast against his chest, he was sure Jongin could hear or feel it.   
“Is your chest still hurting?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“No”, Jongin answered.   
“And your arms?”   
Jongin eyed him, trying to guess what Kyungsoo was aiming for.   
“I’m not in pain”, Jongin said quietly. Kyungsoo looked away again. “Good”.   
He couldn’t, he couldn’t or maybe he was really just scared.   
“Kyungsoo?”   
He turned his head to look back at Jongin. “When I recover where do I go?” Jongin asked.   
“You can come and stay with me”, Kyungsoo said without thinking properly about it. “If you want to”, he added quickly.   
“I want to”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo felt Jongin’s arm lying so close next to his, he could not resist and reached for his hand. Jongin flinched when he felt Kyungsoo’s hand on his. “Can I?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin just looked at him, he did not seem to understand. Kyungsoo gently opened Jongin’s hand and put their palms together and intertwined their fingers raising their arms a bit. Jongin looked at their intertwined hands and then back at Kyungsoo, he opened his mouth but said nothing. Kyungsoo brought their hands to his mouth and pressed his lips shortly and very gently onto Jongin’s fingers. “Good night, Jongin”.   
He kept his eyes closed, not daring to see Jongin’s reaction. So Kyungsoo did not see that Jongin was wide awake for another hour, just staring at him. 

The next day, Kyungsoo talked to the nurses so that he could give Jongin the medicaments and even though Jongin was hesitant to take them, Kyungsoo convinced him.   
“Sean himself checked them. He said they’re okay and safe to take. In fact, he said, you have to take them”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin took them without any objections. The medicaments made Jongin sleepy, so they stayed in the room all day. Kyungsoo slept in Jongin’s room for another night but since Jongin was so groggy from the medicaments, he probably didn’t even notice. So Kyungsoo let him enough room and slept on the chair. A middle-aged nurse who dropped by to check on Jongin saw Kyungsoo half asleep on the chair, his head rolling to the side.   
“Oh dear, have you been sleeping all the past nights on the chair? I will bring you a folding bed, I am sure I have one at home. I can dash home and back after my shift ends, alright?” she said. Kyungsoo smiled.   
“Oh no, no. You don’t have to go through all that trouble for me”, he said. The nurse smiled.   
“He must be very important to you”, she said. Kyungsoo looked at Jongin who was still sleeping.   
“He is”, Kyungsoo said. The nurse nodded.   
“I’ll bring you the bed”, she said and left them alone.   
She returned to the room very early in the morning with a folding bed which she put up for Kyungsoo. She had also brought a pillow and a thin blanket.   
“Here you go, get some rest”, she said kindly. Kyungsoo lay down and stretched his legs. It was a relief to lie on a bed without being all curled up. He still preferred being close to Jongin but he was exhausted. The medicaments did their job and when Jongin was checked during lunch the next day, his results had improved by a lot already.   
“I am relieved to see that you are finally taking your medicaments. Your results have improved so rapidly in just one day. If this keeps up, you might be discharged very soon”, the doctor said. He was very surprised and seemed like he could hardly trust his own eyes while looking at the results.   
Jongin did not seem to be very happy however, he avoided looking at Kyungsoo and when Kyungsoo asked him whether he wanted to go outside he just gave terse nod. Jongin was allowed to walk by himself and so they walked out into the hospital garden. They sat down at a bench in silence.   
“Over there, in that direction is the ocean”, Kyungsoo finally said. Jongin looked into the pointed direction without saying anything.   
“What’s wrong, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked then. “Something is bothering you”. Jongin finally looked at him.   
“If I can leave the hospital and stay with you”, Jongin started. “You can”, Kyungsoo interrupted him.   
“I don’t know what I should do then”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo’s heart clenched as he remembered eavesdropping on Minseok’s and Kenta’s conversation.  
“If I were normal I could –“, Jongin started but Kyungsoo interrupted him. “You are normal!” he called.   
Jongin looked startled. Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hands. “Nothing is wrong with you”, he said quietly. “I don’t know what to do then either. I no longer have my job and I’m not allowed to work anymore because of everything. I don’t know what do to either. But it will be fine, we will work something out”, Kyungsoo said.   
Jongin looked properly at him again. “I know that I am not normal, you don’t have to pretend for my sake”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo shook his head.   
“What is supposed to be abnormal about you?” he asked. Jongin grimaced.   
“I cannot feel like an ordinary human being”, he said. Kyungsoo looked at him for a while, then he said: “You can”. Jongin frowned.   
“I talked to Sean and Junmyeon. Sean can explain that better than me but basically you are able to feel just like every other human being”, Kyungsoo said.   
Jongin looked confused but the confusion changed to disgruntled again. “My eyes”, he said then.   
“What about them?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin pulled his legs to his chest and leaned his face onto his knees. “They’re not normal”, Jongin murmured.   
“They’re just different but all over the world people have different eye colours”, Kyungsoo said.   
“They’re creepy, is what people are saying”, Jongin murmured.  
“Why would you care what people say? Who are those people anyway?” Kyungsoo said. He was surprised, Jongin never cared what anyone would say about him.   
“You think they’re creepy”, Jongin mumbled quietly. Kyungsoo stared at him.   
“Huh? What makes you think that?” he asked. Jongin did not answer. Kyungsoo hesitantly touched Jongin’s arm.   
“Jongin?” he asked. Jongin did not look at him and did not answer.   
“Do you want me to leave?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin lifted his head from his knees and turned his head. He was surprised and confused.   
“No”, he said. 

They walked around the park and then went back inside. Jongin took his medicaments and slipped under the sheets of his bed, his eyes already heavy. Kyungsoo touched his hand and to his surprise Jongin opened his hand and let his fingers slid in between Kyungsoo’s to intertwine them.   
“Don’t worry, I’ll stay”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin fell asleep and Kyungsoo sat by his side, holding onto Jongin’s hand although Jongin’s fingers had already loosened. Kyungsoo listened to the daily business outside on the corridor. It was dinner time and the nurse brought Jongin’s food and a little portion for him as well. She smiled at Kyungsoo and when she caught a glimpse of their intertwined hands, she looked like she had to bite down an even broader smile. Kyungsoo let go of Jongin’s hand to eat. He was lucky that the nurses always brought him an extra portion that way he received three meals a day for free. He felt a bit guilty about it especially since he didn’t know why the nurses were so kind to him. He woke up Jongin so he could eat, too. They walked into the bathroom together to brush their teeth which felt strangely surreal. It was so surreal that Kyungsoo had to grin, he leaned his head forward over the sink so Jongin wouldn’t see. When they returned to the room, the plates had already been collected. Jongin got into his bed and looked at Kyungsoo who sat down at the edge of his bed. Jongin looked surprised and then looked over to the folding bed.   
“Aren’t you going to -?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo opened his mouth; he finally understood.   
“I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, you had taken your medicaments and needed space”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin looked at him.   
“Isn’t it too – close for you?” Kyungsoo asked hesitant.   
“Too close?” Jongin asked and frowned.   
“It isn’t?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked like he wanted to say something but did not know how to phrase it.   
“Can I sleep here then?” Kyungsoo asked quietly. 

Jongin slid over to make space of Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo smiled. They lay side by side for a while until Jongin shifted a bit and Kyungsoo saw how Jongin slid closer. Kyungsoo bit his lip and then said: “Jongin, lift your head a bit”. Jongin looked up surprised but lifted his head. Kyungsoo stretched out his arm.   
“You can put your head back down”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin put his head down, now lying on Kyungsoo’s arm. Very slowly Kyungsoo bend his arm and rested his hand on Jongin’s back. Kyungsoo turned his head to look at Jongin. “Is that alright?” he asked.   
“Yeah”, Jongin murmured. They were quiet for a long time but neither of them slept.   
“You said I could feel like a normal human?” Jongin asked then into the silence as if they had had an ongoing conversation. Kyungsoo turned his head. It was dark by now, so he could only see Jongin’s face vaguely. “Yeah”, he said quietly. 

*

Kyungsoo had not returned home for a week and Minseok was now in the second week of his therapy. Jongdae felt empty without his job and without people surrounding him. After their kiss Minseok’s behaviour had changed. He was trying hard to control his frustration or anger when Jongdae was close. It was at the end of his second week in treatment when he came home and walked into the kitchen where Jongdae was cooking with Kenta. Kenta had gotten a promotion and thus earned more money which he shared without thinking twice with Jongdae and Minseok. It was no surprise to Jongdae that Kenta had gotten promoted. Kenta was very unlike the other Aureum Luscus. Kenta showed his emotions way more than the others, he was likeable and good-looking. He easily earned people’s trust but maybe because of that Jongdae sometimes questioned how genuine Kenta’s personality was. 

“Hi”, Kenta called and smiled at Minseok who came into the kitchen.   
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Jongdae asked looking at Minseok.   
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Minseok asked.  
“Kenta, can you keep an eye on the stove?” Jongdae asked.   
Kenta nodded and the two left the kitchen and went into the living room which had been turned into a more and more comfortable space. There were now two sofas which could be drawn out into beds. The new one was for Kyungsoo when he would return.   
“I will stop the treatment”, Minseok said unceremoniously. Jongdae opened and closed his mouth.   
“Okay”, Jongdae said finally.   
“Are you not going to ask questions or object?” Minseok asked. Jongdae shrugged.   
“It’s your decision, Minseok”, Jongdae said. He turned around to return to the kitchen.   
“Jongdae”, Minseok said quickly. “I don’t know how I will change when I stop the treatment”, he said. Jongdae faced him again.   
“I won’t kick you out if that’s what you’re worried about”, Jongdae said.   
“You look mad”, Minseok said plainly.   
“I’m not”, Jongdae said.   
He was not mad, he was confused and maybe a little bit scared. Minseok had asked him to try being in a relationship with him while he had been doing the therapy. But now that he would stop it, what would that mean for their relationship? It was hard to tell whether it was the therapy that had turned Minseok gentler to Jongdae or whether that was because they had agreed to be in a relationship. They were still at the very beginning and hardly progressed on from where they had started. Minseok hummed. He was acting strangely, Jongdae had never seen Minseok like that.   
“What is it?” he asked. Minseok closed the living room door.   
“I have not been on a high dose with the medicaments so I can discontinue with it quickly”, Minseok said quietly.   
Jongdae frowned and stepped closer. Minseok had hardly shared anything about the therapy with him and now all kinds of horror scenarios popped up in his head.   
“Wait, don’t tell me, is there a risk if you discontinue with the medicaments?” he asked, trying hard to suppress his panic.   
“No”, Minseok murmured. Jongdae stepped up to Minseok and tried to catch his eye. “What is it then?” he asked anxiously. Minseok finally looked at him.   
“Don’t make such a face”, Minseok said. Jongdae almost looked offended but his expression mingled with surprise when Minseok touched his face.   
“I don’t know how to ask for this”, Minseok said.   
“Just ask”, Jongdae said tensely. Minseok got closer to his face. There was a sharp knock on the door and Minseok flinched back.   
“Jongdae?” Kenta called. Jongdae shortly closed his eyes in anger. “There is a visitor”, Kenta added.  
Jongdae opened his eyes and looked at Minseok who shook his head. Jongdae opened the living room door.   
“Who is it?” he asked but saw who it was. Junmyeon was standing behind Kenta in the corridor.   
“Hi, Jongdae. Do you have a moment?” Junmyeon said. 

Minseok and Kenta went into the kitchen and Junmyeon entered the living room. His eyes wandered around the room and Jongdae pressed his lips into a thin line. He would explode should Junmyeon make an arrogant comment about his plain house.  
“Are you still hoping to work again?” Junmyeon asked then. Jongdae had not expected that.   
“Yes!” he said taken aback.   
“Well, I’m here to offer you a job”, Junmyeon said. Jongdae frowned.   
“What kind of job?” he asked hesitant.   
“I want you to train my bodyguard”, Junmyeon said. Jongdae raised his eyebrows.   
“You have graduated from the police academy, you worked as a guard. You know about the world outside of the city. I want you to teach him everything you know. You don’t have to be too soft with him”, Junmyeon said.   
“Why should I teach your bodyguard?” Jongdae asked with a sneer. Junmyeon shrugged his shoulders.   
“He needs someone who can teach him properly, not the stuff one learns at the police academy”, Junmyeon said.   
“Is this some trick to manipulate me?” Jongdae asked suspiciously. Junmyeon crossed his arms.   
“I am here to help you but you have apparently taken on Kyungsoo’s stance. You meet me with suspicion and anger”, Junmyeon said.   
“Kyungsoo’s stance? No, I haven’t seen him in a week”, Jongdae said coolly.   
“Well, I suppose. He spends his days and nights with Jongin at the hospital, playing pretending”, Junmyeon said with a cold smile.   
“You’re an asshole”, Jongdae said. Junmyeon continued to smile.   
“That’s how it works, doesn’t it? Anyway, it wasn’t my idea to offer you a job. Minseok asked me to”, Junmyeon said. Jongdae opened his mouth in surprise.   
“Minseok did?” Junmyeon nodded.   
“Well, if you want the job come to my house tomorrow at 2 PM”, he said and left. 

Jongdae joined Kenta and Minseok in the kitchen for dinner but did not tell them what Junmyeon had wanted. They cleaned up the kitchen together, then Kenta went into the living room to get ready for his night shift.   
“What did Junmyeon want?” Minseok asked once Jongdae and he were in the bedroom upstairs. Jongdae sat down at the window and looked outside.   
“He said you had asked him to offer me a job”, he said then. He turned around when Minseok did not say something.   
“Did you really?” Jongdae asked and got up. Minseok shrugged.   
“Yeah, I mean you need a job. The only one who could give you a job would be Junmyeon, right?” he said.   
“Yeah, but-“, Jongdae started. “You don’t want the job”, Minseok interrupted him.   
“No, I really want to have a job again. I just – I’m just surprised that you would do that – for me”, Jongdae murmured. Minseok looked away and his expression turned unreadable again.   
“You wanted to ask me for something before?” Jongdae asked. Minseok tensed up.   
“Yes, but not right now”, he murmured.   
“No, just say it”, Jongdae insisted.   
Downstairs they heard how the front door was locked as Kenta left for work. Minseok looked at him still working on how to say it.   
“Okay, whenever you’re ready then”, Jongdae said.   
“Kiss me”. Minseok had said it so suddenly and so quietly that Jongdae wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.   
“You wanted to ask me to kiss you?” Jongdae repeated.   
“No”, Minseok said. Jongdae had never seen Minseok so nervous and unsure. Minseok leaned down hesitant and kissed him.   
“What is it then?” Jongdae breathed out when their lips parted again. But somehow he had a hunch what Minseok had really wanted to ask him.   
“Can I?” Minseok asked quietly. His lips brushing against Jongdae’s.   
“Yeah”, Jongdae whispered and let Minseok pull his shirt over his head. He had never before been so close with Minseok, skin on skin. They were lying in the bed, their clothes scattered over the floor.   
“Why now? Because you’re stopping the treatment?” Jongdae asked.   
“As long as I can still feel something”, Minseok said. Jongdae’s arms which were supporting him as he sat on top of Minseok’s hips were shaking.   
“What do you mean?” Jongdae asked.   
Last week, when Minseok had told him that he wanted to try being in a relationship with Jongdae he could hardly believe it. He couldn’t believe that Minseok understood what that meant and that he was serious about it. So Jongdae had never initiated anything ever again, they had not kissed since then and neither had they done anything else. Of course they slept in the same bed but Jongdae had not dared to even touch Minseok. Somehow he had felt like anything beyond kissing was asking too much. Of course, he had wondered whether Minseok had ever thought about it but Jongdae couldn’t really imagine Minseok being remotely interested in a serious relationship or sex. But now they were sitting in their underwear on his bed, tousled hair and it looked very much like Minseok actually wanted it. Minseok sat up and wrapped his arms around Jongdae so he slid down from his hips between Minseok’s legs.   
“This”, Minseok said and only then Jongdae dared to think that Minseok actually desired closeness and intimacy.   
“Is this like a goodbye present?” Jongdae whispered into Minseok’s neck.   
“What?” Minseok asked. Jongdae held tightly onto Minseok, his arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. He suppressed the tears. Minseok easily turned and rolled Jongdae over so he was lying with his back pressed into the mattress.   
“It isn’t”, Minseok said. “We still got to find the Feng group. There is still too much to do. I won’t go”, Minseok said. He leaned down to him and kissed Jongdae again.


	14. Thirteen

Jongin was allowed to leave the hospital after three days. Kyungsoo left ahead so he could check with Jongdae whether Jongin could stay at his house as well. But when Kyungsoo arrived early in the morning, Jongdae was not there. Minseok was repairing the door handle to the living room door when Kyungsoo walked in.  
“Minseok!” He turned around surprised.  
“So you have decided to come back? How’s Jongin?” Minseok asked.   
“Good, he’ll be allowed to leave this afternoon. But he has nowhere to stay, as long as I cannot get a job I cannot afford a place of my own. I wanted to check with Jongdae whether Jongin can stay here, too”, Kyungsoo said. Minseok finished his repair work with a smack onto the handle.   
“I don’t think he’ll mind. There is a new sofa in the living room, Kenta bought it for you anyways”, Minseok said. Kyungsoo was surprised and walked into the living room.   
“Kenta bought it for me?” he asked. Minseok nodded.   
Kenta himself was sitting on one of the sofas, headphones on and a very concentrated expression on his face. He noticed Kyungsoo entering however and put the headphones down.   
“Kyungsoo, you’re back!” he called with a smile.   
“Hi, Kenta. Sorry for not contacting any of you, I was with Jongin at the hospital. He did not trust the doctors there and almost died because he did not take his medicine”, Kyungsoo said. Kenta waved with his hand.   
“I’m working for the city security now”, Kenta said proudly.   
“Great, is that why you bought all that?” Kyungsoo asked looking around. Since his last visit a lot had changed, the house was clean and had new furniture. Kenta nodded.   
“Jongdae lets me stay here so I helped him make it inhabitable again”, Kenta said with a grin.   
“I earn quite a bit now since I got promoted. I bought these sofas, they’re good to sleep on”, he added.   
“Would you mind if Jongin stayed here, too?” Kyungsoo asked. Kenta shook his head.   
“Not at all, you’d have to share that sofa though”, Kenta said and glanced over to the door.   
But Minseok was no longer there, a distant sound suggested he had either moved to the kitchen or upstairs.   
“You cannot sleep upstairs anymore”, Kenta said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“Did something happen?” Kyungsoo asked. “Is it because of Minseok’s treatment?” he added anxiously. A strange expression appeared on Kenta’s face.   
“The bedroom is their room now”, he said. Kyungsoo opened his mouth.   
“Do they get along now? It was a bit – frosty between them when I left”, Kyungsoo said sitting down on the sofa next to Kenta. Kenta tapped onto the hologram in his lap and it switched off with a buzzing sound.   
“Getting along, I guess you could call it so”, Kenta said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“What, why?” he asked worried. It looked very odd to see Kenta suppress a giggle.  
“I came home earlier a couple of days ago and they seemed to get along very well then”, Kenta said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“What do you mean?” he asked puzzled.   
“They were doing – uhm – They had – you know – they probably thought that they were alone otherwise they wouldn’t have been so loud”, Kenta said. Kyungsoo finally understood and looked away.   
“I see”, he said, trying his best to keep his voice calm to not make this awkward.   
“I didn’t think Minseok was interested in that”, Kenta said then. Kyungsoo looked at him.   
“You know, some of the older ones were really cold and emotionless. Some of them were trained to become guards themselves at the camps. But among people my age there were a lot more who were completely different. They said I could not feel like a normal human being but I never saw a difference. Maybe I think a bit differently but I never felt differently”, Kenta said thoughtfully. Kyungsoo smiled.   
“Well, I’m sure there is and never was anything wrong with the way you felt. It was a lie they told you”, Kyungsoo said.   
“But Minseok was exactly like that”, Kenta said. “At the shelter he was trying to be a bit more friendly and approachable but you could tell that he did not really care about anyone. I didn’t think he would ever care about anyone”, Kenta said.   
“Well he is doing that therapy, it is supposed to help him regulate his hormones and so on”, Kyungsoo said. Kenta hummed.  
“But he did the therapy for Jongdae”, Kenta murmured. Kyungsoo was surprised.   
“He did the therapy for Jongdae?” he repeated. Kenta nodded.  
“He wanted to know whether he would feel something for Jongdae if he was normal. That’s what he said – already back then… when Jongdae appeared at our shelter in the desert”, Kenta said.  
“You sound like you don’t really believe that Minseok feels anything for Jongdae”, Kyungsoo said quietly. Kenta looked at him when he was not smiling he gave the same air of alertness and caution as every other Aureum Luscus.   
“I don’t think the therapy really worked on Minseok. It caused him only pain”, Kenta said.   
“You think he only pretends to like Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asked shocked. 

Kenta flinched and looked up, Kyungsoo followed his movement even though he had not heard anything to startle him. The door was opened only a smidge so Kyungsoo could not tell whether someone was standing there. But Kenta obviously did and judging from his expression either Minseok or Jongdae must have been in front of the door. Kyungsoo got up and walked over to the door but no one was there. Sounds from the kitchen told him someone was cooking so he walked over into the kitchen. Minseok was cutting vegetables and Jongdae was there, too, for some reason he looked as if he had just worked out really hard.  
“I’ll just take a shower”, Jongdae said when Kyungsoo came in.  
“Jongdae”, Kyungsoo said. Jongdae turned around.   
“Hi, Kyungsoo. Don’t worry about Jongin, he can stay”, Jongdae said. “Minseok already told me”. 

He walked past Kyungsoo without showing any sign that it had been him to overhear the conversation. Kyungsoo washed his hands in the sink and joined Minseok. When he heard the sound of the shower he glanced at Minseok.   
“Minseok, can I ask you something?” he asked carefully. Minseok hummed.   
“It is a bit – it’s a difficult question”, Kyungsoo said quietly. Minseok stopped cutting and looked at Kyungsoo.   
“It is about the education they gave you all at the camps”, Kyungsoo said. Minseok showed no reaction.  
“I heard they taught you about relationships and friendship and so on”, Kyungsoo asked.   
“Yeah, they showed us videos and we read about it in stories”, Minseok said.   
“So even though you had not experienced it, you would have an understanding about those things?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok’s eyes narrowed.   
“What are you getting at?” he asked.   
Kyungsoo looked at his hands. That would mean that Jongin should understand what their closeness meant. Or did he interpret it differently?   
“I’m just trying to understand Jongin better”, Kyungsoo murmured. 

Minseok relaxed a bit and hummed again as he turned back to cutting the vegetables. Kyungsoo watched Minseok’s back while Minseok was roasting the food. The burden of not knowing what someone else was really thinking and feeling was unbearable. Kyungsoo wondered how much Jongdae was suffering or if he pretended, too, not to see and blindly accept Minseok’s attempt at being close. Was he stupid for believing that Jongin could possibly feel something, too?   
“I’ll go and pick up Jongin now. He’ll be waiting for me already”, Kyungsoo said. He left just when Jongdae returned from the shower. 

Jongin was indeed waiting for him impatiently. He looked relieved when Kyungsoo appeared and rushed over to him.  
“We’re going to stay at Jongdae’s house for now. Minseok and Kenta are there, too. Is that alright with you?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin nodded. They had just left the hospital, entering a busy street when Jongin stepped very close to Kyungsoo.   
“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked with a glance at Jongin. Jongin seemed to dislike big crowds of people and his eyes were nervously scanning the masses of people. Kyungsoo hesitated but then carefully reached for Jongin’s hand. Jongin jumped at the sudden touch but when he saw that it was Kyungsoo’s hand, he relaxed.  
“It’s alright”, Kyungsoo said. 

Kyungsoo who knew the city better by now, took a route away from the big main streets. The narrow alleyways were dimly lit and occasionally they saw a few people sticking their heads together in corners. The city government would have denied the existence of shady people in this glorious city but they were there. The stories about the Aureum Luscus that the people of the city had been told were fundamentally different from the ones Kyungsoo had grown up with. But the massacre at camp three and the fights at camp two had eventually been spread through rumours. Kyungsoo wondered how many people really wanted justice for the Aureum Luscus because they were genuinely distraught by what happened and not just because they were scared of them. The yellow glowing eyes were not helping, Kyungsoo was one of the few who was used to them and found them rather fascinating. Most people did not dare to look them in the eyes and so did Jongin’s glowing eyes keep every shady person in their shady corners during their way through the side alleys.  
“Jongin”, Kyungsoo said when they stepped out of the narrow side alleys into a little street leading to Jongdae’s home. It was not very busy here, most people were inside for dinner but a few teenagers and one or two adults were walking down the street. Jongin hummed.   
“If you follow that street you’ll see the ocean. We’re very close. If you want to we can go there after dinner”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin nodded. 

Kyungsoo led the way to the house and unlocked the front door. A delicious smell immediately welcomed them, Kenta was babbling about something. Kyungsoo closed the door behind them and kicked his shoes off, he smiled at Jongin and brought him into the kitchen.   
“… but they have a really- Jongin”, Kenta called happily stopping midsentence.   
“Hi”, Jongin murmured.   
“Well, have a seat. There is still plenty. Minseok is really good at cooking”, Kenta said. They sat down and joined in on dinner.  
“As I was saying, you should definitely go and check it out, Minseok. There might be something that catches your interest. Same goes for you, Jongin”, Kenta said. Jongin looked up from his plate, his mouth already stuffed with food. He gulped down the large portion.  
“What?” he asked.  
“Oh, I did a course at university today and they also showed me around the campus. It’s pretty amazing and the professors know a lot. They have all sorts of subjects you can study and some courses are at a good level”, Kenta said. Jongin turned back to the food.  
“Study at university?” he asked. Kenta nodded. “Not really my thing”, Jongin said and started shovelling food into his mouth again.  
“You haven’t even seen the campus and you’ve never been to a university before, how would you know?” Kenta asked shoving his chin forward.  
“I’ll go and check it out”, Minseok said instead. Kenta smiled satisfied.  
“Maybe we can go together or Jongdae can come with us”, Kenta continued.  
“I have to work and you should not skip workdays either, Kenta”, Jongdae said.  
“You work?” Kyungsoo asked surprised. Minseok and Jongdae exchanged short glances.  
“Yeah, it’s nothing official though. But I cannot let Kenta pay for everything”, Jongdae said.   
“I said it would be fine”, Kenta threw in.   
“How did you get that job?” Kyungsoo asked quickly. Jongdae continued eating before looking at Kyungsoo and answering.  
“Not officially. It’s more of doing a friend a favour and he pays me for that. It’s still dangerous in this climate to go against the rules. You know, not everyone was happy how the trials went. I heard a few things”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo put his chopsticks down.  
“What did you hear?” he asked.  
“Well, we did commit several crimes that is not to deny, Kyungsoo. People find it hard to accept that we were pardoned solely because we contributed to exposing and stopping an inhuman experiment going on”, Jongdae said.  
“And not everyone likes that the Aureum Luscus get special treatment. Every one of them who has shown special talent in an area has been offered good positions. They are allowed to work”, he continued.  
“You’ve been offered something too, Minseok?” Kyungsoo asked. Minseok tilted his head.  
“In a city that strives for peace and harmony, a person who is good in war and fight strategies is not needed”, he said calmly. “Have they contacted you, Jongin?” Minseok asked. Jongin shook his head.  
“I’m not surprised, though. He was in hospital and until a few days ago they were not optimistic about his health improving much”, Kyungsoo said.  
“I’m sure they will contact you soon”, Kenta said. “What was you SE-area?” he asked then.   
Minseok’s hands shortly tensed and Jongdae looked like it cost him all effort and strength to not shout. Kenta seemed to be completely oblivious to the tension he had caused.  
“I never had one”, Jongin said simply. Kyungsoo bit down the question and told himself to wait until later.  
“How? Everyone has one”, Kenta said surprised. “Minseok had three!” Jongdae put his chopsticks down.  
“Okay”, he said and cleared his throat. “How about getting the sofa ready for Kyungsoo and Jongin?” he said to Kenta.   
“Why?” Kenta asked looking disgruntled at being cut off so abruptly.   
“You can do the dishes if you don’t want to –“, Jongdae continued.   
“Okay, okay”, Kenta muttered and got up.  
“Sorry about that”, Jongdae murmured. Jongin shrugged.  
“I left the camp very early”, he said. Minseok looked at him.   
“You left early?” he asked.

Jongin rolled the chopsticks between his fingers until he stopped abruptly as if he remembered someone telling him not to do such a thing. He put them down.  
“I ran away when I was 11”, he said. Jongdae opened his mouth.  
“How old are you right now?” he asked. Jongin tilted his head.  
“20”, he answered.   
“You survived 9 years on your own?” Jongdae asked.  
“Well it wasn’t always easy”, Jongin said. “I got caught two times. The first time wasn’t too bad actually, it was a little village. They had no clue about me or the stories about us. They let me live there for 5 years”, Jongin said and his eyes looked into the distance.  
“Until the village got attacked”, he added then. “I was just fine for another couple of years, then I wandered further east and ran into Kyungsoo”, Jongin said.   
Kyungsoo shifted and cleared his throat.   
“You were the one who caught Jongin?” Jongdae asked.  
“I’m not proud of that either”, Kyungsoo said sharply. “I didn’t know what they were going to do with him. At my town they had everyone thinking the Aureum Luscus did not really exist, except a few people from the military, the government and obviously doctors and scientist who knew the truth. They brainwashed us into thinking the Aureum Luscus’ genes were the solution for many deadly diseases”, Kyungsoo said.  
“I noticed that he was not treated well. Junmyeon and I met at the institution where they held Jongin captive. Junmyeon was a scientist there, we exchanged information regularly. Junmyeon told me just how bad they treated Jongin and we both helped Jongin escape. Well, we escaped with him basically”, Kyungsoo said. 

 

After cleaning up together, Kyungsoo and Jongin went out for the promised walk. There were a few people outside now, dressed up, obviously going out. They climbed over the railing and slithered down a slope and jumped right onto the sandy beach. It was a stretch of the beach that was not used by party people. Kyungsoo took off his shoes and enjoyed the sand between his toes.   
“Take your shoes off”, Kyungsoo said to Jongin when he saw that Jongin was watching him. Jongin followed Kyungsoo and took his shoes off.  
“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Kyungsoo said with a smile.   
Jongin hummed. Together they walked to the waves rushing back and forth. Kyungsoo had never seen Jongin’s eyes light up as they did when he saw the ocean for the first time. He said nothing so Jongin could enjoy and take it all in. Jongin walked into the waves, the salt water splashed against his legs and sprinkled his pants and shirt but he did not seem to mind. Kyungsoo touched his arm when Jongin went in deeper.   
“You cannot go in at night time. We can come back tomorrow”, Kyungsoo said gently. Jongin frowned a bit but nodded.   
“Let’s walk a bit”, Kyungsoo said.  
They walked along the shore, the waves splashing against their feet. At some time they had stopped and sat down in the still warm sand. Kyungsoo let himself fall onto his back.   
“Look up”, Kyungsoo said.   
Jongin who was sitting, let his head fall back into his neck and looked up. The velvet blue sky spread clear above them with the stars glittering. Jongin’s lips slowly lifted into a smile and Kyungsoo felt his heart skip at that. He sat up.   
“Jongin?” he said quietly.   
Jongin looked at him, the smile was already fading but he looked comfortable and happy. They were sitting so close that their legs were touching, their fingers were barely touching. Kyungsoo leaned a bit closer.  
“Can I kiss you?” he asked quietly. Jongin looked back at him, confused and puzzled.  
“Yeah”, he said then.   
Kyungsoo leaned over to Jongin and touched his cheek. It was hard to hide his nervousness now, Jongin must hear his quick breath. But Kyungsoo did not want to rush into it, he kissed Jongin very carefully. It was a very chaste and soft kiss. But when Kyungsoo pulled back he felt dizzy, he looked up into Jongin’s glowing eyes. There was still confusion but slowly something else mixed into it. Jongin lifted his hand and touched Kyungsoo’s cheek. His hand was a bit rough and sand was still sticking to his palm. Kyungsoo leaned in again and rested his forehead against Jongin’s. This time he saw how Jongin closed his eyes and strangely, his heartbeat calmed down. The endless worries and anxiety of the last weeks seemed to be washed away, he too closed his eyes. Here he was with Jongin. He had thought for terrible long weeks that Jongin was dead and he would never see him again. Jongin remained close, leaning against Kyungsoo, his hand on Kyungsoo’s cheek. The tips of their noses touching slightly.

 

*

“Are you going to tell Kyungsoo that you’re working for Junmyeon now?” Minseok asked. Jongdae pulled the curtains shut and turned around.  
“No, he is far from forgiving Junmyeon and Junmyeon is not making it easy for Kyungsoo either. It’s almost as if he is provoking Kyungsoo on purpose”, Jongdae said.   
Minseok crossed his legs and leaned against the wall.  
“Why should he do that?” he asked. Jongdae shook his head.  
“I don’t know, it was just a thought. I guess Junmyeon is just conflicted when it comes to Kyungsoo”, he said and crawled onto the bed next to Minseok.  
“Conflicted?” Minseok asked.  
“Well, Kyungsoo is everything Junmyeon secretly wished he was. Kyungsoo was very successful at his hometown, he was Lieutenant. At his age! He was apparently also popular. He is very skilled and talented. I guess, since Junmyeon failed in the military, his parents probably wanted him to be someone like Kyungsoo. He’s jealous but conflicted because Kyungsoo was his only friend”, Jongdae said. Minseok frowned. Jongdae smiled.  
“I did not deduce all of that. I only recently heard that Junmyeon was in the military as well but didn’t do too well”, Jongdae said. Minseok leaned his head back against the wall.   
“Are you okay?” Jongdae asked carefully. “Ever since Kenta mentioned the SE you’re very tense”, Jongdae said. Minseok gave him a side glance without moving his head.  
“Sorry”, Jongdae said quickly.  
“You want to know my SE-areas?” Minseok asked roughly. Jongdae shifted.  
“No, you don’t have to tell me”, he muttered.

Downstairs Kyungsoo and Jongin just returned.  
“You know, next time I’ll show you the campus. It’s really nice”, Kyungsoo said.   
His thoughts wandered off to two boys, his friends… he had not forgotten about Baekhyun and Chanyeol. But he still didn’t know what they were doing or how they were. He knew that none of the city people had died, so Baekhyun should be fine. But Kyungsoo didn’t know how to approach him again after this. He knew from Chanyeol’s reaction that Chanyeol surely did not want to see him ever again.  
“What is it?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo had stopped in the hallway lost in thought.   
“Huh? Nothing, I just – thought of something”, Kyungsoo murmured.   
Jongin’s eyes narrowed a little but he said nothing. They walked into the living room where Kenta was sitting with crossed legs leaning over a hologram. He was talking to himself under his breath.  
“No that cannot be right. No, no…”, he muttered. He looked up shortly when the two entered. “Hi”, he said absently with a disgruntled expression.  
“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked. Kenta tapped the hologram device.  
“They wanted me to check this, the new program is not working. But I checked everything and I cannot see why it does not work”, Kenta said. He pulled a tablet over which was lying next to him and tapped the screen. Jongin leaned over.  
“Maybe it is the program that is faulty”, he said. “No, it isn’t. A computer calculated it and it found no mistakes”, Kenta said.  
“But there is a mistake”, Jongin said.   
Kenta turned his head so fast, he almost snapped his neck. Kyungsoo leaned over too and saw a complicated long list of calculations on the tablet screen. “Here”, Jongin said and tapped a chain of calculations.  
“It is a small mistake with grave consequences”, Jongin said and corrected it. Kenta took out a second tablet to re-calculate.  
“My god, you’re right”, Kenta murmured.  
“Did you just calculate that in your head?” Kyungsoo asked baffled. Jongin’s eyes wandered over the rest of the calculations.  
“The rest is correct. You should check the computer, this could be a deliberate mistake”, Jongin said but Kenta was already nodding.  
“Someone might have slipped in that mistake so the program would not work”, he said. His fingers flying over the tablet, typing a message.  
“What kind of program is that?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“The new security system for the court building. Not that I am allowed to tell you actually”, Kenta said. “I have to leave and report this”, he said and got up.   
He got changed at the speed of light and stuffed the hologram device and the two tablets into his bag. He rushed out without another word. Kyungsoo closed the living room door and turned around. Jongin was sitting on their sofa. It had already been pulled out and transformed into a bed.  
“Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked up when Kyungsoo sat down at the bed.  
“What is this SE-area they had been talking about before?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked at his hands.  
“How much do you know about the camps?” Jongin asked.  
“Not much”, Kyungsoo replied.  
“When we were old enough, around 10 years old, we had to go to the camps. They called them boarding schools and they were a lot like it. We had our dorms, school education and so on. But depending on how obedient we were, they put us in different camps. They tried to find out our special skills. We were told that we were exceptionally intelligent, some of us had a talent for specific areas and received extra training in that area. That’s why they called it Special Education, short SE. From what I heard it wasn’t just ordinary stuff like mathematics or programming or language learning, they taught other skills as well”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo frowned.  
“That doesn’t sound too bad… it seemed like it really upset Minseok however”, he said. Jongin looked away.  
“Like I said, they teach you anything if you show talent for something, even if you do not want to be good at something”, Jongin said. “I left because of it”, he said.   
Kyungsoo stared at him. “I thought you had no SE”, he said. Jongin shifted, he avoided eye-contact.  
“They do tests to find out your skills and before you are put into those courses and trainings, you’re told which courses you will get”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo wanted to inch closer but he could tell that Jongin did not want to be touched right now.  
“They said we were aggressive and violent but who handed us the knife and the gun?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo opened his mouth.  
“They… tested children in using knives and guns?” Kyungsoo asked quietly.  
“No”. Jongin finally looked up. “They tested us in our ability to kill and they were very delighted to find that most of us were lacking the empathy to feel regret or have trouble cutting up things”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo felt sick.  
“What exactly let they – practice you on?” he asked although he did not want to know. Jongin shrugged.  
“Anything, animals usually. But I know that the SE would teach you how to kill humans as well”, Jongin said.  
“What would your SE have been?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked at him.  
“You would not want me close to you if you knew”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo reached out his hand.  
“Nothing you say could ever change that”, he said quietly. “If you think that would make me turn away, you forget I killed an innocent young man to free you”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin looked at Kyungsoo’s outstretched hand.  
“I would have been trained in martial arts. And primarily, how to kill without weapons”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo slid closer and took Jongin’s hand.  
“Well, you ran away”, Kyungsoo said.   
“Not for the reasons you are hoping for, I guess”, Jongin said and looked away.  
“What was your reason then?” Kyungsoo asked.   
“I wanted to decide myself whether I killed and whom and how. I’m not human, I don’t think I can be, no one of us can be. We were made and created to be different. But I’m not a killing machine they can use to their purposes”, Jongin said.  
“You can decide now for yourself what you want to do with your life. It is yours now”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin turned his head and looked at Kyungsoo.  
“Let’s go to sleep”, Kyungsoo said then.

But Jongin seemed to be restless and turned around countless times.   
“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked and touched Jongin’s shoulder. “Is it because of what we talked earlier on?” Kyungsoo asked worried. Jongin turned around so he could face Kyungsoo.  
“Can’t you hear it?” he asked. Kyungsoo held his breath and listened very hard but he heard nothing. The house was silent aside from Jongin’s breathing.   
“No, what?” Kyungsoo asked.   
Kenta had not returned yet and Minseok and Jongdae probably had gone to bed, too. Jongin looked distressed and pulled the pillow over his head. Kyungsoo tried his hardest but he could hear nothing that should cause Jongin so much discomfort.  
“Do you want me to talk so you won’t have to hear it?” Kyungsoo suggested helplessly. Jongin took the pillow down and nodded.   
“Okay”, Kyungsoo said shifting. Jongin inched closer.   
“If I’m not allowed to work I will try and apply for university. I want to study geography. A – a friend of mine studies geography. I met him here in the city and he helped me a great deal with getting you into the city. But he got shot while following me and I think he only realised then that I had been lying about my identity the whole time. I’m afraid he won’t forgive me. His best friend surely won’t, he really didn’t like me at all. They had just started dating when I went through with the plan and my friend got shot. I think he had suspected me to be only pretending to be someone I wasn’t”, Kyungsoo murmured.  
“You made friends pretending to be someone you weren’t?” Jongin asked.  
“Yeah”, Kyungsoo said and looked up at the ceiling.  
“I told them I had been sent to the city to work here. I told them I was working for a doctor – which was not completely untrue, though. But I didn’t tell them about my past and I didn’t tell them about my plans. They showed me around the city and got me the unregistered phone with which I could finally contact the others. They had no clue that they had helped me getting you into the city. It was nice however. For a while I was just Kyungsoo, an ordinary guy living in this city, enjoying the afternoon with friends. But sometimes it was really hard”, Kyungsoo said.  
“For the longest time I did not know what was going on outside of the city. I only knew that there were fights in camp two. Giang had hacked the security cameras and I saw how that guard had held you down, there was so much blood. And I kept seeing that scene over and over in my head. I thought… I thought the entire time I had lost you”, Kyungsoo ended. He suddenly had a lump in his throat and felt very cold. He turned his head and saw that Jongin was looking at him.  
“You thought I was dead?” Jongin asked. He watched the tears trickle down Kyungsoo’s nose and over his cheek.  
“But you came to the hospital”, Jongin said.  
“I was in prison for a few weeks until my official court hearing. As soon as I got out I started trying to get information on what had happened at camp two. And when I saw that some had gotten out alive, I started looking for you. I hadn’t seen you dying so I just hoped that somehow you got out of there”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin inched even closer, their faces were just millimetres apart.  
“Junmyeon came and freed everyone who had been locked up. He shut down the camp with an official note but he came personally. He took me with him”, Jongin whispered. Kyungsoo froze.  
“He did?” he murmured. Junmyeon had told him but he had hardly believed it. Jongin nodded.  
“He has become very strange”, Kyungsoo said quietly.  
“He was already very different when I arrived at the city. For a moment I had all those crazy thoughts that it wasn’t really Junmyeon. But then I saw that it was really him and the good life of the city had already poisoned him. He enjoyed it and he does now more than ever before. He indulges in the power he holds”, Kyungsoo said bitterly.  
“Sorry, I got side tracked”, he added then. Jongin slid down a few inches and nuzzled his head into Kyungsoo’s chest.  
“Is it quiet now?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“Yeah”, Jongin muttered sleepily.  
“Good night”, Kyungsoo said quietly. He hardly dared to move because he didn’t want Jongin to move away from him or to wake him. He listened to his steady breath, it was barely audible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you've all been waiting for this moment to happen...  
> There had been quite a few opportunities for a kiss but I wanted to wait until they would be in a safe and calm situation as they are now, in which they both really want it because it is the moment for it and not because they thought there would be no other chance for it.  
> I really hope you enjoyed the kiss!


	15. Fourteen

Baekhyun shoved his materials into his bag and got up.   
The lecture hall was quickly emptying, everyone was trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible because it had been the last lesson of today for most of them. It was late afternoon and Baekhyun was tired. Usually he was full of motivation at the start of a new semester but this term he could not bring himself to be happy or motivated. He knew of course why but he tried to ignore the reason. It was stupid because he had spent most of his time in the basement of the RDT. But without Chanyeol he had no longer any reasons to go there. He lifted his bag a little higher and walked out of the building.   
It was comfortably warm outside and the sun was hanging low like a fire ball, nearing the horizon over the ocean. Baekhyun walked through the park, trying to come up with a place to go to. He checked his phone but there were only messages by university groups and Yixing, a good friend of his. When he reached the river, he felt reminded of Chanyeol so badly he felt it like a physical pain.

“Baekhyun?”   
He whirled around hopefully but it was not Chanyeol. The man approaching him was way too short. Kyungsoo had changed since the last time they had seen each other, he had lost weight and his hair had grown considerably. He was accompanied by another young man. Baekhyun could not help but stare, he was very attractive but something about him also made Baekhyun’s insides squirm. His eyes were glowing yellow like a cat’s and they were eyeing him with great suspect. Somehow he looked familiar to Baekhyun but he could not ever recall having seen him before. He was remaining a few steps behind Kyungsoo.   
“Kyungsoo”, Baekhyun said. “Are you okay?” he asked. Kyungsoo cleared his throat.  
“Listen, I wanted to visit you for ages and apologise”, he started. Baekhyun blinked.   
“Apologise?” he asked. Kyungsoo looked confused.   
“Well you got involved in this – mess because of me. And you were injured!” Kyungsoo said. “Also, I lied to you about my identity”, he added. Baekhyun coughed awkwardly. Kyungsoo had just summarised everything Chanyeol had repeatedly told him when he had visited him at the hospital.   
“You know I like trouble”, Baekhyun said but he did not sound very convincing.   
“You don’t have to – I don’t know – hang out with me anymore, you know. You don’t need to pretend, it’s okay, I would understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun shook his head.   
“What? No, of course I still want to be friends with you! What has gotten into you?” Baekhyun called. “I’m just glad you’re okay. After the court trial, there were no news about you and I got really worried”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo sighed.   
“I’m sorry, I was – uh – preoccupied”, he murmured. “Right”, he said when he noticed Baekhyun’s eyes constantly drifting over to the tall yellow-eyed man behind him.   
“This is Jongin. I told you about him, maybe you remember -?” Kyungsoo started.   
“What? That – that is the guy you…”, Baekhyun asked baffled. Kyungsoo nodded, a sheepish smile appeared on his lips.   
“Jongin, that is Baekhyun. I told you about him a couple of days ago. He is studying geography here at the university”, Kyungsoo said.   
“Baekhyun, this is Jongin”, he introduced him. Baekhyun felt like Jongin’s eyes were nailing him into the ground.   
“I know you”, Jongin said.   
Baekhyun flinched, his voice was deeper than expected. And it appeared the strange familiarity about him was not just his imagination.   
“You know him?” Kyungsoo asked surprised.   
“Yeah, when I first woke up, he was there as well”, Jongin said.   
“Ah!” Baekhyun called as he remembered. “You were at the hospital. Holy shit, I would not have recognised you. I mean, who would have guessed – your face had been more or less an injury. Oh, I didn’t mean, no offense”, Baekhyun babbled nervously. Jongin shrugged.  
“Yeah, that’s what it looks like when you had your head smashed against concrete floor”, he said. Baekhyun shivered.   
“I – what?” he stuttered.  
“Okay”, Kyungsoo quickly intervened. “Where is Chanyeol by the way?” he asked. But that did not seem to lift Baekhyun’s mood, in fact it only worsened.  
“Chanyeol? Yeah, I wonder where he is”, Baekhyun said in a very untypical cool tone. Kyungsoo opened his mouth.  
“But are you not -?” he asked carefully. Baekhyun shrugged and turned away.   
“He got that fabulous job offer and works for the government, he made such a huge secret out of it. But it sounded like he works for some super rich guy. I don’t even know what he is doing aside from developing some new technology probably”, Baekhyun huffed.  
“He is no longer at university?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun shortly looked at him.  
“No, he had just graduated. The semester party we all went to was for the students leaving the university”, Baekhyun said. “Didn’t I tell you?”   
Kyungsoo shook his head.  
“I still got two semesters left”, Baekhyun murmured. 

They walked along the river together.  
“He came visiting me at the hospital everyday to preach what a terrible person you are and that I should stay away from you. He was not happy that you got cleared at the hearing”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo hummed.  
“Figured, he never particularly liked me”, Kyungsoo said.   
“Yeah, it drove me mad”, Baekhyun said. Baekhyun looked over at Jongin. “He won’t allow me to talk to you for a second under four eyes, will he?” he asked. Kyungsoo turned to look at Jongin.  
“What? Sure, why not?” he asked. Kyungsoo leaned closer to Jongin, he whispered something to him. Jongin nodded and with another glance at Baekhyun walked away.  
“So?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun continued to walk ahead, his hands tensed around the straps of his bag. Kyungsoo jogged to catch up with Baekhyun.  
“What is it, Baekhyun?” he asked. Baekhyun looked close to tears.  
“I broke up with Chanyeol. We were only fighting, every single day. We’re just too different, I cannot be that good boy who follows the rules and doesn’t speak up. That’s why his relationships have always worked out, they were all what he looked for. I’m not like that”, Baekhyun said leaning his head into his neck. He smiled but Kyungsoo saw his tears. Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say.  
“We cannot ask each other to change that much for each other. We worked out as best friends, I guess one tolerates more of a friend than of a lover”, Baekhyun said.   
“You regret breaking up with him?” Kyungsoo asked.  
“I lost him, Kyungsoo. I lost him as a friend, too”, Baekhyun said with a desperate look and burst into tears. Kyungsoo pulled him into a hug.  
“I miss him so much”, Baekhyun cried. “And I said so many terrible things. It was my fault, too. We cannot be together like that but I don’t know how to be without him either”.   
Kyungsoo held him tightly.  
“I don’t know where he is anymore, I don’t know what he is doing, how he is doing”, Baekhyun whispered.   
“If you go to his home to talk to him about it?” Kyungsoo suggested. Baekhyun shook his head.   
“He moved, I don’t know where he lives”, Baekhyun said and wiped away his tears. “We grew up together, I thought he would be with me for – for my entire life”, Baekhyun said. Those words sparked something in Kyungsoo.   
“Baekhyun”, he said. Baekhyun looked startled.   
“Yeah?”   
– “You told me about your childhood friend Jongdae”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun rummaged his bag for a tissue and blew his nose.   
“Yeah, what about him? I don’t know where he is either, I haven’t seen him for over 4 years now”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo bit back a smile.   
“Would you like to see him again?” he asked in the hopes it would cheer him up. Baekhyun looked up astonished.   
“Are you saying…?” he asked. Kyungsoo nodded.   
“Let me call Jongin and we can go back home. Jongdae should be back by now”, Kyungsoo said.   
He waved his arm and within a minute, Jongin had rushed over.   
“We’re going back. Baekhyun will come with us, he is an old friend of Jongdae”, Kyungsoo said.  
“I can’t believe that we were both friends with Jongdae the whole time”, Baekhyun murmured. “And he’s back in the city…”. 

Kyungsoo hesitated. “We’re all kind of living at his house”, he said then.  
“What do you mean with we all?” Baekhyun asked puzzled.  
“A few of the Aureum Luscus and me”, Kyungsoo said slowly.  
“He’s taken them in?” Baekhyun asked.  
“Well”, Kyungsoo started slowly. “He took Kenta and Shaila in. Minseok was with him either way. And later he invited me and I brought Jongin with me”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun frowned for a second.  
“He’s friends with you guys?” he asked Jongin. Jongin’s eyes narrowed.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked darkly.  
“Yeah, he never told me that people like you exist. I cannot believe he kept that from us”, Baekhyun said and bit his lip. Jongin looked surprised and Kyungsoo suppressed a chuckle. 

They arrived at the house and from the voices sounding inside, it seemed like everyone was there. Kyungsoo rushed ahead into the kitchen.   
“Jongdae, I brought someone with me. He just wanted to say hello”, Kyungsoo said. Jongdae looked up, his eyes fell onto the two entering the kitchen after Kyungsoo.   
“Jongdae”, Baekhyun simply said.  
“Baekhyun”, Jongdae murmured. Baekhyun eyed Jongdae with a strange look.   
“Maybe we’ll leave you two alone for a few moments”, Kyungsoo suggested and grabbed Kenta and Jongin’s arms and pulled them out of the kitchen. Minseok was still leaning against the kitchen counter with his hips, looking at Baekhyun.  
“Okay, this dude is really making me nervous now”, Baekhyun muttered. Jongdae did not even look over his shoulder at Minseok.  
“I – just wanted to see you again. Kyungsoo told me you were back in the city… I didn’t think I’d see you again. It’s – it’s nice… to see you again. You seem to be doing well”, Baekhyun said quickly. Kyungsoo who was standing outside could hear that Baekhyun was close to tears again.   
“Chanyeol is doing well, too. He’s got a job now. I’m – I’m still at university, though. But I’m in my final year…”, Baekhyun said, continuing bravely.  
“Baekhyun”, Jongdae interrupted him. “Let’s talk outside”, Jongdae said. He grabbed Baekhyun’s arm and pulled him out of the house.

A few steps away from the house they stopped.  
“You look different”, Baekhyun continued.   
“Well, I am different”, Jongdae said. Baekhyun nodded. “I can tell…”, he said quietly. Jongdae sighed.  
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun but it is better if you did not come again. I’m no longer the child that played with you”, Jongdae said quietly. Baekhyun looked at him desperately.  
“You would not want to be friends with me anymore if you knew who I really am now”, Jongdae said quietly.  
“Why is everyone thinking that? Kyungsoo just said the same”, Baekhyun said and shook his head.  
“Baekhyun, it seems like you can still enjoy and believe in the good life in this city. Live it. I can’t”, Jongdae said.  
“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae shook his head.   
“They took everything from me”, Jongdae said quietly. “I cannot go back to who I was. I cannot live like I used to”, Jongdae said. Baekhyun looked back at the house.  
“So your job had something to do with them?” Baekhyun asked. Jongdae just looked at him.   
“Why didn’t you tell me? I – I’m your friend, am I not?” Baekhyun asked close to tears.  
“I couldn’t! I was not allowed to tell anyone. It was hard for me, too!” Jongdae called.   
“Am I really such an unreliable, irresponsible person that no one can entrust anything with me anymore? Chanyeol doesn’t want to tell me what he’s working on, you didn’t tell me. Even now…”, Baekhyun called, the tears were now falling.  
“Baekhyun”, Jongdae said uncomfortably.   
“Was he the reason you could not come back?” Baekhyun asked then, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. Jongdae’s face went rigid.   
“What do you mean?” he asked stony.  
“When we saw each other last time, you said you could not abandon your work because of something”, Baekhyun said. Jongdae let out an exasperated breath and turned away.  
“It’s not like that”, Baekhyun quickly added. “I’m not asking because I still – while you were away I started … Chanyeol and I were dating”, Baekhyun said quietly. Jongdae looked back at him.  
“It’s just – when you turned me down last time you said you were not into boys”, Baekhyun murmured.  
“Chanyeol and you were dating?” Jongdae asked instead. Baekhyun pulled up his shoulders and looked to the ground.  
“Not anymore?” Jongdae continued.  
“I was – really stupid”, Baekhyun murmured. “Like always. I guess I’m not made for lasting relationships or maybe Chanyeol was just imagining things. I don’t know, I can’t understand why he even thought that he liked me”, Baekhyun murmured. Jongdae gave him a side glance.   
“Don’t be stupid. Chanyeol always liked you”, Jongdae said. Baekhyun turned his head so fast his neck cracked.   
“What?” he asked. Jongdae let out a short laughter.  
“You were just too busy running after other boys”, Jongdae murmured and leaned against the guardrail. Baekhyun stood next to him.   
“You mean, I was too busy chasing after you”, Baekhyun said. Jongdae hummed. “Yeah”. Baekhyun shook his head.  
“He always had girlfriends and I mean, he was in two very long relationships. Why would he -?” he wondered. Jongdae shrugged.   
“He thought you would never be interested in him”, Jongdae said.   
“Did he say that?” Baekhyun asked surprised. Jongdae raised his eyebrows.   
“He did. He said that he did not intend to correct your assumption of him being only into girls”, Jongdae said. Baekhyun opened his mouth but he didn’t know what to say and closed it again.  
“And you?” he asked after a while. Jongdae was looking down, there was a hint of a smile on his lips. Baekhyun gently nudged his side.   
“You like that guy, don’t you?” Baekhyun said. Jongdae gave him a side glance, the smile disappeared.  
“It’s difficult”, he said then. Baekhyun laughed and leaned against Jongdae’s shoulder. “Don’t be so afraid of admitting that you like a boy”.  
Jongdae shook his head. “That’s not it. I never thought about it that way”, Jongdae said and leaned his head back. He looked up into the purple evening sky.  
“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked.  
“I was constantly scared of dying and I wanted to protect him but at the same time…”, Jongdae murmured. He looked at Baekhyun. “At the same time I was terribly scared of him”. Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “But…”, he started.   
“After some time I saw that he had no intention of hurting me, we build something like trust maybe friendship. It was a strange thing. Suddenly I was not only worried about my own death but his, too. I could think of nothing else. I wanted to save him, I knew I couldn’t save anyone, not myself… but he -”, Jongdae said. His eyes were clouded and Baekhyun shivered at the dark look in Jongdae’s face.   
“But neither of you died”, Baekhyun said when Jongdae did not continue.  
“I helped him escape”, Jongdae said plainly. “I thought I would never see him again. But better he was free than suffering more”. Then he put his hand over his eyes and laughed but Baekhyun saw a tear running down his cheek.  
“I suddenly didn’t know what I was doing anymore or why I was even there”. 

He tensed up when Baekhyun pulled him into a hug but then relaxed into the hug and buried his face in Baekhyun’s neck. His body was shaking as he was crying.   
“I’m all messed up, Baekhyun. I cannot drag you into this hell. I don’t think it will ever stop, it won’t stop”, Jongdae whispered. Baekhyun tightened his hug.   
“I don’t care, I’m your friend. You know me, I’m all for trouble. So I’m ready for your trouble as well. Stop trying to carry it on your own”, Baekhyun said. Jongdae pulled back and wiped his eyes dry.   
“That’s nothing you can carry, Baekhyun”, Jongdae said. Baekhyun frowned. Somehow it sounded like Jongdae was still keeping another big secret from him.   
“Well what exactly is it then?” he asked. Jongdae shook his head.   
“Nothing”, he murmured.  
“Don’t lie, there is still something going on, isn’t there? You said it won’t stop. Are the experiments still ongoing?” Baekhyun called distraught.  
“No!” Jongdae called quickly. “It’s not like that… please, Baekhyun…”. They were quiet for a long time, then Baekhyun gently tapped his arm.  
“Let’s go back”, Baekhyun said. 

Kenta who stood curiously in the hallway looked startled at Baekhyun who rushed past him into the kitchen. Baekhyun glared at Kyungsoo.  
“I know that something is still going on. Another crazy plan, isn’t it? Why are you still keeping this from me? Everyone always thinks I’m too weak or too – too naïve to handle this but I’m not. I won’t let you cut me off again. Neither of you! Kyungsoo, you needed my help last time but did not entrust me with the whole plan. You thought I could not handle the truth behind your job, Jongdae. But that’s wrong. As if I cared what you have done! You’re my friends, I won’t let you push me away like that! Whatever it is you’re planning or doing, you will need my help!” Baekhyun called.  
Everyone stared at Baekhyun, Jongdae opened his mouth looking completely confused. The rest was in the middle of dinner and it was a strange silence that followed Baekhyun’s outburst. It would have been a comical silence had Baekhyun not been entirely right. They usually avoided talking about the still open situation with the Feng group. No one of them knew how they should proceed. Kenta was still trying to get new information through his job but had been unsuccessful so far and the same went for Jongdae. Without any new information it would be hard to continue their search and plan to eliminate the entire Feng group.

“What were you two talking about outside?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae shook his head.  
“Baekhyun, there is no plan going on. That’s not what I was talking about”, he said.  
“Oh stop lying! I can look right through that. Everyone is working on some secret stuff. Chanyeol at least let me know that it was a secret. You just said that there is still some trouble left that you have to deal with and I insist on helping you with it, whatever it is”, Baekhyun growled. Jongdae frowned.  
“Chanyeol said – there was a secret plan going on?” Jongdae asked slowly.  
Kyungsoo suddenly felt uneasy. What if – no matter how crazy it sounded and how unlikely it was – what if Baekhyun was right and Chanyeol was involved somehow, too? Baekhyun crossed his arms.   
“Plan, project. Whatever. Same thing”, he said grumpily. Minseok looked at Jongdae.  
“I didn’t say anything”, Jongdae murmured.   
Kyungsoo frowned. It seemed that whatever Jongdae and Baekhyun had talked about had been enough for Baekhyun to figure out that there was another big reason the Aureum Luscus had come to the city after all. But Jongdae would never tell Baekhyun that they still had to find a group of people and expose them. Mainly because all of the Aureum Luscus wanted them rather dead than just exposed. However knowing Baekhyun, it would be hard to control him should they not involve him. Baekhyun would never stay out of that, he had already set his mind on it because of a hunch and now he would stick to that. Just like he had followed Kyungsoo after the festival no matter what danger had lain ahead.   
“Where did you say does Chanyeol work?” Kyungsoo asked now looking serious. Baekhyun shrugged again.  
“Some rich guy employed him, it was not a company. It sounded like he’s working for the government”, Baekhyun murmured.  
“Kenta”, Minseok said. The younger boy was already on his feet and hurried into the living room and returned with a laptop under his arm. He shoved his plate away and put the laptop onto the table.   
“Full name?” he asked now very seriously.   
“Park Chanyeol. He just started working there, about two weeks ago”, Baekhyun said. “Chanyeol majored in the RDT department”.

Kenta nodded while his fingers flew across the keyboard. “A new gadget from your work?” Kyungsoo asked stepping next to Kenta. Kenta nodded.   
“The hologram devices are obviously way better than this device but if I need to write a lot, then the laptop is better”, Kenta said. “I’m just getting used to it”, he added.   
“Do you have a picture?” he asked Baekhyun. Baekhyun was staring at Kenta working at that speed.  
“I – uh? Yeah”, he murmured. He pulled out a small device that was neither a phone nor a tablet.  
“A digital photo album?” Kenta asked as he saw the device.  
“Not quite. Chanyeol made it, it is similar to a tablet. You can save pictures, music and take notes on it but the storage is not as big as the ones they sell at the stores. I use it for university most of the time, the size is quite handy”, Baekhyun said. Kenta took the device and turned it in his hand.  
“He made that?” he murmured. Baekhyun nodded.   
Kenta studied the device for a few seconds and then managed to send the picture of Chanyeol from Baekhyun’s device to the laptop. It was a picture of Baekhyun and Chanyeol sitting together in a very crammed room. Kyungsoo recognised their favourite noodle shop. Chanyeol had a bright smile on his face, Baekhyun was leaning against Chanyeol with a just as broad smile.   
The laptop made a quiet sound and two files opened on the screen. One carried the name Byun Baekhyun and the other one Park Chanyeol. Kenta’s eyes flitted across the screen, then he sat up abruptly and looked at Jongdae.  
“What is it?” Baekhyun and Kyungsoo asked at the same time.   
Kyungsoo leaned over Kenta’s shoulder and quickly scanned the files. Baekhyun’s file was rather big because of his long criminal record. A little comment had been added to almost all of his offences that the charges had either been dropped or he had not been charged at all. Kyungsoo wondered how Baekhyun had managed to get out of it so many times.   
It was a mix of indecent behaviour, vandalism, night time disturbance. But there was nothing really heavy or bad. Chanyeol’s file however was short. He had been officially registered as a working adult after graduating university. But there was no information on his work place at all, instead –   
“The file is sealed”, Kenta said.  
“I cannot see where he is working or what he is doing”, Kenta added.  
“What is going on?” Jongdae asked.  
“What is it? So Chanyeol is involved in something secret, right? I was right!” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo frowned.   
“It could be a harmless reason. I guess they will black out any information once you work for the government or the job requires a security clearance”, Kyungsoo said.   
“Yeah, that means it could be something potentially dangerous”, Baekhyun said angrily.   
Kyungsoo couldn’t help it, the possibility was there – maybe Chanyeol did work for the government and got in touch with the Feng group.   
“I thought you can find out anything”, Jongdae said. Kenta’s face darkened. He said nothing and kept hacking his fingers onto the keyboard, now very determined on finding out where Chanyeol was working and on what.   
The rest continued dinner but Baekhyun was just shifting nervously around on his stool. “What is it now?” Baekhyun asked anxiously when Kenta finally stopped typing. Everyone looked up.  
“It seems Chanyeol is working for Junmyeon”, Kenta said then. Kyungsoo took a sharp breath and leaned back.   
“I see”, he said and crossed his arms. Jongdae and Minseok exchanged gazes. Baekhyun nervously looked at Kyungsoo.  
“What does that mean? Is that something bad? Isn’t Junmyeon the governor’s advisor? His grandfather had that position before him, I think…”, Baekhyun said.  
“What would he need Chanyeol for?” Kyungsoo looked at Jongdae.  
“It could be that he needs Chanyeol for his newest therapy, right?” Jongdae said.   
Kyungsoo bit his thumb as he thought hard. What use could Junmyeon have from a technical talented guy like Chanyeol? Kyungsoo knew hardly anything about Chanyeol’s other abilities aside from making new products out of old ones and apparently creating his own inventions like the device Baekhyun used.  
“Therapy?” Baekhyun asked pointed.   
“Nothing you have to worry about”, Jongdae said and waved with his hand. Baekhyun opened his mouth angrily.   
“But if he really works for Junmyeon then there won’t be any record of the project Chanyeol is working on. Junmyeon knows that Kenta could hack anything”, he added. Kenta bit his lip.  
“You think Junmyeon wants to revive the whole experiment with the therapy?” Jongin asked. Jongdae looked at him.  
“No, but he is planning something else but I do think that it involves the Aureum Luscus… he is in an influential position so he can do however he pleases. We still have that – thing to do so if Junmyeon is planning on stopping us we should better now about it. It could be that this therapy was originally just a distraction or something”, Jongdae said. Minseok hummed.  
“So he is trying to trick us into therapy but really wants to immobilise and control us so we won’t cause further problems?” Minseok asked sharply. Jongdae tilted his head.   
“Maybe… but then he would have had to trick Sean into believing him”, he murmured.   
“He can be very persuasive and he is good at tricking people”, Kyungsoo said coolly. “I hate to say that but you are probably the only one Chanyeol trusts enough to tell what he is working on”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun huffed.   
“I told you that he won’t tell me”, Baekhyun said and crossed his arms.  
“And I thought you were going to meet him and make up with him because you need your best friend back”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun pursed his lips, shooting a side glare at Kyungsoo.   
“Yeah but not to spy for you”, Baekhyun said. “He will look through that immediately”. Jongdae raised his eyebrows.  
“Didn’t you just say a minute ago you desperately wanted to help us?” Jongdae asked.  
Baekhyun lifted his head. “Yeah, but a minute ago you denied the existence of a plan”.   
Minseok raised his eyebrows. “It isn’t our plan, it is Junmyeon’s plan. And we need to find out what it is, if one exists”, Minseok said. Baekhyun tilted his head.  
“But if I try to find out what Chanyeol is working on and I share my information with you, you have to share your knowledge with me too. You cannot cut me off last second again”, Baekhyun said and looked at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo shifted.  
“Baekhyun, everyone here is trained for that. It could get very dangerous and you’re not prepared for that”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun bit his lip.  
“You think it’s as dangerous as last time? Someone is going to get killed?” Baekhyun asked.  
“We don’t know yet, that’s the problem here. We don’t know in what direction this will go. Maybe Chanyeol is working on something completely harmless and then everything is fine”, Jongdae said.  
“You really think I will let Chanyeol go alone through this. If he is involved in something dangerous, I will go and get him out of there”, Baekhyun said. Jongdae raised his eyebrows but Baekhyun was serious.  
“He pulled me out of every dangerous situation for over 20 years, now it is my turn to help him”, Baekhyun said. Jongdae looked at Minseok.  
“Okay”, Kyungsoo said. Jongdae nodded and Baekhyun beamed.   
“If we’re on the same team now, you could stop staring me down like that”, Baekhyun said then to Minseok.  
“Don’t take it personally”, Jongdae murmured. “He’s risk calculating”.   
Baekhyun pulled a grimace and raised one eyebrow. “Huh?”   
Minseok shifted a bit. “You’re a trouble-maker, you cannot follow rules. You’re impulsive and act on emotions not on a rational thought through decision. That makes you a potential risk or danger to any plan”, Minseok said. Baekhyun opened his mouth.  
“Now that was spot on”, Jongdae murmured. Baekhyun grimaced.  
“I don’t know if that was now a compliment or an insult”. Minseok frowned.   
“Why should it be a compliment or an insult?” he asked.   
“He doesn’t give compliments”, Jongdae said. “And you’d have to be a bit more annoying to earn an insult, but really just a tiny bit more. So better not”, Jongdae added. Baekhyun started laughing.   
“What’s so funny?” Jongdae asked. Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo.  
“Even if we say we’ve changed, we do not fully abandon our old selves, huh”, he murmured.  
“Getting philosophical now”, Jongdae said and got up. “Jongin, can you help with the dishes, please?” he asked and Jongin got up.

Kenta quickly and silently escaped the kitchen, to avoid the responsibility of helping with the dishes. Kyungsoo wiped the table when he noticed Baekhyun approaching Minseok who was just leaving the kitchen.  
“Maybe Jongdae isn’t quite as he used to be but I think on the inside he is still a bit like that”, Baekhyun said. Minseok raised his eyebrows.  
“Like what?” he asked.  
“He showed his affection openly and a lot. I think he is just holding himself back because you don’t show what you feel”, Baekhyun said.   
Kyungsoo felt torn, not sure whether he should intervene or let them be. He decided to join Jongdae and Jongin with the dishes so that they could not overhear the conversation in the corridor.  
“You don’t have to pretend it’s not like that. I know Jongdae too well, I can see that there is something going on between the two of you”, Baekhyun said. “And I can tell that Jongdae is suffering”. Minseok tilted his head.   
“You’ve seen him for an hour after many years and come to that conclusion?” he asked. Baekhyun shrugged.   
“Maybe you’re good with that – uh – rational thinking or what you called it. But I can tell that Jongdae has deep feelings for you and you better don’t hurt his feelings”, Baekhyun said a bit firmer.   
“Or what?” Minseok asked and crossed his arms.  
“I’m not threatening you, I’m just asking you to be good to him because he deserves it”, Baekhyun said. Minseok let his arms drop.  
“I know”, he said plainly. Baekhyun looked up at him in surprise.  
“I once sneaked out of the city to visit him. I managed to get there, that building in the desert. He was so mad at me and sent me back immediately. But while he brought me back to the city, we talked. He told me that he did not like his job but he could not throw it aside”, Baekhyun said. “I had suspected that there was someone he liked”.   
Baekhyun was quiet for a long time and looked to the floor. “He was so sad and I could do nothing for him. He was alone with it”, he murmured.   
“Is that what you were talking about outside?” Minseok asked. Baekhyun frowned.   
“Jongdae rarely cries”, Minseok said. “But what you were talking about made him cry”, Minseok said. But before Baekhyun could answer Jongdae appeared.   
“Baekhyun”, Jongdae said clearly determined to interrupt their conversation. Baekhyun cleared his throat.  
“I’ll be leaving now. Well, I will contact you as soon as I have met Chanyeol”, Baekhyun murmured. He hugged a very tense Jongdae and left, saying goodbye to Kyungsoo in the kitchen.   
“Are you okay?” Minseok asked quietly. Jongdae loosened his shoulders.  
“Huh? Yeah, why?” he said calmly.   
“You looked very upset”, Minseok said.  
“I’m fine”, Jongdae said and walked back into the kitchen.  
“Kyungsoo, I’ve got to go to work tomorrow early so I’ll be going to bed. It’s best if we do not attract too much attention now in case there is really something going on. Best is if you and Jongin act normal”, Jongdae said.  
“What, we should do nothing?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae bit his lip.  
“There isn’t much you can do anyways without raising suspicion. Maybe there is nothing going on after all which I really hope”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo nodded.  
“Good night”, Jongdae said. Jongin and Kyungsoo both wished him good night too.   
“He’s right”, Jongin murmured. Kyungsoo looked at him and smiled. “Yeah, probably”. 

They stood in the kitchen quietly for a while. From upstairs came the sound of steps, down the corridor someone was in the bathroom and then someone else went into the bathroom. “What do you want to do then? Tomorrow, I mean”, Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked at him.  
“I want to go to the beach again”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo smiled.   
“Okay, let’s do that then”, he said. He pushed off the kitchen counter and nodded. “Let’s go to bed as well”, he said.   
But when he walked past Jongin, he felt Jongin’s hand on his and stopped. Surprised he looked at Jongin, who carefully intertwined their fingers.  
“Can we – stay for a bit longer?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo hummed. He looked at Jongin who had a stern look on his face.  
“Do you really think Junmyeon is planning something?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo sighed.  
“I don’t know… but I don’t trust him, so it is better to be safe”, Kyungsoo murmured. Jongin furrowed his eyebrows.  
“I don’t really care about that group, you know”, Jongin said quietly. Kyungsoo looked at him surprised.  
“But if they come after you –“, Jongin continued.   
“No one is after me, Jongin”, Kyungsoo interrupted him softly.  
“From what you and the others said, Junmyeon is”, Jongin said.  
“So you’re no longer taking his side?” Kyungsoo asked carefully.   
“I never took his side”, Jongin said and narrowed his eyes.   
“He saved you, you said it yourself”, Kyungsoo murmured.  
“No, you did”, Jongin said.  
“Did I ever properly ask for your forgiveness for capturing you?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin just looked at him, his fingers were still holding onto Kyungsoo’s.  
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I – I sound stupid, don’t I?” Kyungsoo murmured and sighed.   
“I don’t think about that”, Jongin said plainly. There were a thousand questions and things Kyungsoo wanted to ask and say but he couldn’t put anything into words.  
“What do you think about then?” Kyungsoo asked finally.   
He still couldn’t tell what Jongin was thinking at all. Minseok and Jongdae were talking upstairs, someone shut a door. Outside some people passed by the house, laughing, running. Jongin did not avert his eyes.  
“Why would you choose me to save over and over again?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo opened his mouth, the words got stuck in his throat.  
“Do you think you’re not worthy of being saved?” Kyungsoo asked quietly.  
“I don’t understand. Why would you ask for my forgiveness? You never abandoned me, you were never scared of me. You do not avert your eyes when you look into mine”, Jongin said. His voice was shaky, his eyes glowing in agitation.  
“I asked for your forgiveness because you got hurt because of me. I felt responsible and sorry, so I saved you and then I – I don’t know. At some point, you were more than that”, Kyungsoo said and stepped closer to Jongin.  
“More than that?” Jongin repeated. Their noses almost touched so close were they.  
“More than everything”, Kyungsoo said.  
“More?” Jongin asked.  
“Important”, Kyungsoo said when the tips of their noses brushed against each other. He closed his eyes when he felt Jongin's hand on his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the sudden Chanbaek angst OTL stay tuned for the Chanbaek development....  
> Jongdae and Baekhyun finally reunite and Baekhyun really can't keep his nose out of other people's business!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos!! I really appreciate your comments and kudos!


	16. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning ahead: this chapter contains R-rated sexual content

Baekhyun took a deep breath and opened the door.   
He had received a text message by Kenta late at night, just a couple of days after he had met Jongdae and his new friends. It contained an address, Chanyeol’s new address to be specific. Baekhyun was skipping his lectures for that, he had needed all morning to steel himself because anxiety attacks held him back. It was late afternoon when he finally left his house to go to Chanyeol’s new place. He felt sick and horribly nervous. He had thought long and hard all night what he had wanted to say and had come up with something good but the next morning he had forgotten it all. 

Chanyeol’s new place was at an apartment complex near the city centre, it looked modern and nice but extremely expensive. Had Chanyeol earned that much money in such a short time period? Only when he stood in front of the door he realised that he had to ring and Chanyeol would probably not open for him. But seconds later the front door was opened by a middle aged man in a washed out white shirt and sweatpants, he was talking to someone via a headset.   
“No, I totally forgot about it. They are so backwards, I swear they are the only shop that don’t do home deliveries!” he complained. Baekhyun smiled at him and slipped through the open door. It was cool inside and Baekhyun pressed the button for the elevator. Chanyeol’s apartment was on the fourth floor. 402. It was the second door on the right. 

Baekhyun stood in front of the door for five minutes before he could bring himself to ring the doorbell. When the door was opened everything he had wanted to say was gone again, he felt completely paralysed when Chanyeol stood in front of him. His hair had been cut short and it looked like he had just gotten home about to get undressed.   
“Baekhyun”, he said baffled. “What are you doing here? How did you get this address?” he asked.   
“I’m sorry”, Baekhyun squeezed out and before he could pull himself together he burst into tears. Chanyeol just stared at him while Baekhyun cried and tried to gain back control over himself.   
“I’m sorry, I didn’t plan on crying”, Baekhyun sobbed and wiped his eyes.  
“I wanted to apologise”, he continued hoarsely. Chanyeol did not move, he remained on the threshold.   
“And I wanted to tell you, you were right. I was an idiot, I still am”, Baekhyun said. “Say something, Chanyeol. Please”, he begged. Chanyeol crossed his arms.   
“You’re my best friend, Chanyeol. I don’t want it to be like that, you not talking to me. I m-miss you”, Baekhyun said as new tears walled up but this time he took a deep breath and held them back. For the first time Baekhyun could see a change in Chanyeol’s face. He opened his mouth when a voice from inside the apartment called:  
“Is everything okay?”  
Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, it felt like a stab in the chest. He took a few steps backwards, then he turned around and took the stairs, running and jumping as fast as he could to get away from Chanyeol and the girl that was at his apartment. He had not expected Chanyeol to immediately go for someone else. He had hardly believed that Chanyeol really liked him to such an extent to date him but when Jongdae had told him that Chanyeol had always been in love with him, he suddenly had felt a spark of hope again. He had thought he and Chanyeol could have made up and maybe they could try again. But that was all destroyed now.   
Baekhyun reached his home and slammed the door behind him. At home he could freely let his tears fall but he had rather screamed. He had barely walked into his room when someone knocked at the door from the side entrance. Baekhyun ignored it, he did not want to see anyone right now. But the knocking was persistent and did not stop. Baekhyun got up and flung the door open.   
“WHAT?” he shouted and the words got stuck in his throat when he saw that it was Chanyeol. Baekhyun pressed his lips together as more tears came.   
“Can I come in?” Chanyeol asked.  
“No”, Baekhyun said shaking.   
“Okay, then – I just say it. You’re right, you were an idiot. After the whole thing with Kyungsoo, you totally cut me off and took his side. You talked me down, our arguing was horrible and what you said to me – was really hurtful and I think I was more than right to want distance from you after that. You – you said you wanted me to go… But it was also partly my fault. I pushed you to be someone you’re not, I just want you to know that it’s not because I cannot accept you the way you are. It is just – I was really worried and scared – I still am… you were shot because you never think before you do something”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun’s lips were shaking.  
“Who was that girl?” it burst out of him. Chanyeol looked startled as Baekhyun had completely ignored what Chanyeol had said.  
“A co-worker, there was a technical problem at her home and they had no water, light or electricity so I offered her to stay over at my place”, Chanyeol said.   
“You’re not – you’re not -?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol sighed.  
“No, we’re not dating”, he said. Baekhyun stepped to the side and let Chanyeol in but they remained in the corridor in front of Baekhyun’s room.  
“You’ll never see me as anything else than your best friend, so why are you so upset?” Chanyeol asked. When Baekhyun looked up he saw the pain in Chanyeol’s eyes. Baekhyun opened his mouth and searched desperately for words to tell Chanyeol how very wrong he was.  
“No – I”, he stuttered and grabbed Chanyeol’s shirt. He tiptoed and kissed him. Chanyeol had closed his eyes for the short kiss but when Baekhyun pulled back quickly, he opened his eyes slowly. He smiled sadly.  
“I could never give you what you’re looking for”, he whispered.  
“But neither am I like all those girls that you dated, why would you want to date me?” Baekhyun asked desperately.  
“Because”, Chanyeol said and paused. “Because I love you”.   
Baekhyun’s hands on Chanyeol’s shirt tensed. “Come”, Baekhyun whispered and pulled him into his bedroom. 

He looked up at Chanyeol and let go off his shirt. He took a deep shaky breath. “Kiss me”, he demanded. Chanyeol blinked.   
“What?” he asked.  
“Kiss me”, Baekhyun repeated.   
Chanyeol leaned down hesitant and then cupped Baekhyun’s face. He pecked his lips shortly then a second time a little longer. Baekhyun heard his quick breath when Chanyeol opened his mouth and finally kissed him. Baekhyun moved backwards and pulled Chanyeol with him. He closed the door behind them with his foot. Chanyeol had his hand behind Baekhyun’s head and on his back, so he wouldn’t get hurt as they bumped into the wall. They had never kissed like this before. When Baekhyun’s feet suddenly lifted from the floor as Chanyeol lifted him and sat him down on top of the shoe dresser next to the door, his heart skipped a beat. How strange. There was a strange feeling of fear and something else that flooded Baekhyun so suddenly he gasped. For a moment when his feet had left the ground he had felt as if he was going to fall apart, melt right into Chanyeol’s arms and disappear. But into the fear mixed another feeling. The one that made it all so strange. Was it happiness? Baekhyun didn’t know. All he could think of was Chanyeol. He was here, he was here again. His scent, his voice. Chanyeol slid his hand into Baekhyun’s hair just as Baekhyun wrapped his legs around Chanyeol to bring him even closer. It probably was by accident that Chanyeol’s hand clenched and pulled Baekhyun’s hair as he let out a low growl by being pulled so close between Baekhyun’s legs. Before he could even apologise, Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol’s shirt and said breathlessly: “Do it again”.   
Chanyeol looked surprised. Even though Baekhyun was sitting on top of the dresser, he still had to lift his head a little to look into Chanyeol’s face. Their bodies were so close now, Chanyeol must have felt Baekhyun’s reaction to their intense kissing. He could have called it off right then and there. He could have said that they shouldn’t rush into it after their break up. They should talk first – but what was there to talk about? More apologies?  
But instead he kissed Baekhyun again and his hand tensed in Baekhyun’s hair. He pulled very gently as if he was scared to hurt him. It had felt like few minutes of kissing but when Chanyeol lifted Baekhyun down from the dresser and they climbed onto the bed, it was already evening and the room was almost dark. They had dated so shortly that their relationship had never gone past kissing. Baekhyun had expected Chanyeol to protest that it was going too fast or they should not do it out of the blue without having properly thought about it. But Chanyeol did not protest, he let his hands ran all over Baekhyun’s body. Finally he pulled Baekhyun’s shirt all the way off and easily took off his own before bringing their lips together once more. By the time all their clothes had been thrown to the floor it was completely dark in the room. For a moment Baekhyun wondered whether he had to tell Chanyeol what to do. As far as he knew Chanyeol had never been with a boy before but Chanyeol reached over to the bedside table knowingly and pulled the drawer open.  
“Chanyeol, this – is it -?” Baekhyun asked.   
“Hm?” Chanyeol asked turning back to Baekhyun. “Come on, I know what you keep in your bedside table. Did you really think, I wouldn’t know?” Chanyeol asked.  
Baekhyun shortly bit his lip. He was not embarrassed about anything he kept in that drawer.  
“I mean, have you done this before?” Baekhyun asked looking away. Chanyeol touched Baekhyun’s chin and made him look back up at him.  
“No, but I’d be lying that I didn’t think about it while we were dating. I obviously – uh – looked up what – to do”, Chanyeol said.   
Baekhyun felt a great rush of excitement. He hadn’t imagined that Chanyeol had been thinking about sleeping with him but the thought only edged him on. Then again, he remembered that Jongdae had entrusted him with for how long Chanyeol had been interested in Baekhyun.  
“Call tonight a date and we’re dating again. Don’t use past tense on us again”, Baekhyun just blurted out. Chanyeol looked at him and laughed. Baekhyun couldn’t laugh, he looked away.  
“I never wanted to break up with you”, he murmured. He felt Chanyeol’s breath on his cheek when the taller leant down to kiss him.  
“Neither did I”, Chanyeol said. He held Baekhyun’s head as he made him lay back down onto his back.  
Baekhyun hoped there were no customers in his aunt’s shop downstairs anymore or that at least the shop music was loud enough because he could not hold back. Chanyeol was usually gentle and kind but when Baekhyun gasped: “No need to hold back. Please”, something in his eyes gleamed. His hands dug almost roughly into Baekhyun’s hips as he lifted him higher. Chanyeol only stopped when he saw a tear trickling down Baekhyun’s cheek. His arms were shaking as he held still.  
“Sorry, was it too rough?” he asked heavily. Baekhyun shook his head.  
“No, please go on. Please, please”, Baekhyun begged.  
“No, you’re crying”, Chanyeol said firmly and leaned down to Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s chest was heaving quickly, sweat was running down his temples.  
“I told you to go rougher”, Baekhyun whispered. Chanyeol scooped Baekhyun up and held him tightly against his chest, he kissed his neck, going slower and very gentle.  
“It’s just because I'm happy - you’ve proven yourself wrong”, Baekhyun said breathlessly against Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol hummed and let Baekhyun out of the embrace to look at him.  
“You can give me what I’m looking for”, Baekhyun said with a breathless smile. Chanyeol opened his mouth.  
“I was serious and you’re just talking about sex?” he asked. Baekhyun laughed and held onto Chanyeol’s shoulders.  
“No, I wasn’t. I just thought I don’t want you to be – like me – doing without thinking. I like you the way you are”, he said. Chanyeol looked puzzled.  
“But you finally showed me your other side. You kept that from me that always bugged me”, Baekhyun said.  
“My other side?” Chanyeol asked.  
“When you don’t hold back, when you let yourself go, when you don’t worry too much about doing everything the perfect and right way”, Baekhyun said and rolled his hips. Chanyeol gritted his teeth and shifted slightly.  
“I still don’t want to hurt you”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun bucked his hips.  
“You won’t. Stop holding back”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol leaned down to him and kissed him. Chanyeol then turned his head and whispered into Baekhyun’s ear:   
“You really want this?” When Chanyeol faced him again, Baekhyun was smiling. “Yeah”. Chanyeol hesitated and looked at him, then he leaned down and bit Baekhyun’s lower lip as he pushed his hips forward very harshly.   
Baekhyun’s legs were still shaking when Chanyeol rolled to the side and pulled him into his arms. They were lying entangled for a long time, Baekhyun was already drifting off into a light sleep when Chanyeol kissed his hair.  
“I have to get up really early tomorrow, it’s better if I leave now”, he said quietly. Baekhyun’s arms around Chanyeol tightened.  
“I don’t want to wake you up”, Chanyeol said and gently stroked back Baekhyun’s hair.   
“I don’t care”, Baekhyun murmured.   
“You will definitely complain tomorrow morning”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun laughed sleepily and when he looked up he saw Chanyeol smiling.   
“Okay, I’ll stay”, Chanyeol said and leaned back into the pillows.

*

The waves were brushing their bare feet as they walked along the beach. The sun was comfortably warm, not too hot. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure who had taken whose hand first but neither of them let go. They sat down as soon as they left the big crowds behind them. They had reached almost the border of the city so far had they walked. Jongin had been so excited to go back to the ocean that Kyungsoo had expected him to go straight into the water but now that they were here, Jongin did not even look at the ocean. His eyes were constantly on Kyungsoo, usually he did not mind but that day the way Jongin looked at him was very different. It was as if Jongin was waiting for something, expecting it to happen any second. He was not his usual calm but alert self, he was a bit nervous and restless.   
“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo finally asked when they sat down in the warm sand. Jongin flinched.   
“Nothing”, he murmured. Kyungsoo frowned.  
“Something’s on your mind”, he said and looked around. “Was someone following us? Or did someone say something about you?” Kyungsoo asked and inched closer. He put his hand on Jongin’s thigh.  
“If something is bothering you, just tell me”, Kyungsoo said.   
Jongin turned his head and looked at him. He blinked and leaned a bit closer. He was hesitant and it looked like he was holding his breath.   
“Can we – kiss again?” he asked finally. Kyungsoo almost laughed. He had expected everything but this and he could hardly hide his joy.  
“Yeah”, he said and closed the remaining distance and brought their lips together.  
Kyungsoo moved his lips slightly against Jongin’s only to see whether Jongin would be okay with it. Jongin however immediately imitated Kyungsoo’s movements and they were both a bit breathless when they pulled back from the kiss. Kyungsoo laughed a little, still in disbelief over the sudden passionate kiss. Jongin looked puzzled.  
“Why are you laughing?” he asked.  
“Because I’m happy, obviously”, Kyungsoo said. He raised his hand and drew the outline of Jongin’s lips. When he looked up again he caught Jongin looking at him again.  
“I’ll be with you”, Kyungsoo whispered. “No matter what happens”.   
For a moment they had pushed the brooding possibility of another dark plan out of their minds and with Jongin by his side, it was just too easy to forget about everything.  
“I thought you were happy”, Jongin said then. Kyungsoo blinked surprised.  
“Yeah, why?” Jongin tilted his head. “Your eyes changed, you look worried”, Jongin said.   
Kyungsoo sighed and turned his head away. His hands back on the sand, he leaned back, looking at the waves rushing back and forth.   
“I’m always worried”, he said honestly. “I don’t know what might happen. I don’t even know whether something is going to happen”, he continued. Jongin frowned.  
“I don’t want to – imagine that we might get separated again like when we went to the camps…”, Kyungsoo added then. He turned his head when Jongin slid closer to him. Their legs and arms touched.  
“We won’t get separated like that again”, Jongin said and sounded so convinced that Kyungsoo had to ask: “Why are you so sure?”   
Jongin looked at him for a while almost as if he was trying his best to memorise every little feature of Kyungsoo’s face.  
“Because I will be with you no matter what happens”, Jongin said repeating Kyungsoo’s words.   
Somehow when Jongin said Kyungsoo’s words, they didn’t sound as cheesy and like a stupid little love promise as they had when Kyungsoo had said them. Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say so he just looked blankly at Jongin whose eyes were so full of determination and seriousness. He knew that Jongin meant every word he said so he just smiled. 

*

“Are you ready?” Yifan asked. Junmyeon brushed down the front of his suit looking into the mirror, his face was stony.   
“Yeah”, he said. In the mirror he could see Yifan’s worried expression.   
“Are you sure?” Yifan asked. Junmyeon turned around.  
“Just stick to your orders”, Junmyeon said and raised his eyebrows. Yifan said nothing and reached him the case for his glasses.  
“I think I will be back by midnight”, Junmyeon said as they reached the entrance hall. “Have you informed Jongdae that your next training session has to be rescheduled?” Junmyeon asked loudly.  
“Yes, sir”, Yifan said stiffly.  
“Don’t forget to organise the recruiting next week”, Junmyeon added then. Eric from the staff just appeared from the kitchen.  
“Ah, master Kim are you leaving already?” he asked. Junmyeon nodded.  
“Have a nice evening”, Eric said.  
“Thank you. Good night”, Junmyeon said and left.  
Eric cleared his throat when the door closed.  
“You’re not accompanying him tonight?” he asked. Yifan shook his head.  
“No, it is just a small round. Junmyeon says there are no risks and dangers. I guess he is right”, he said.   
“Oh really?” Eric said, there was a strange undertone. Yifan ignored it and turned around. But just as he passed by Eric, he whispered: “I know who you are”.   
Yifan tensed but quickly hid it. “Excuse me?” he said. Eric smiled.   
“Nothing”. 

Yifan frowned and walked upstairs into the library. He closed the door behind him and listened for any sounds, then he locked the door. It was dark inside the library but he knew the room so well he found his way through the high shelves without effort. He stopped by the windows that were blocked by heavy curtains. He needed to distract himself from his thoughts… he could not sit around and wait for Junmyeon to return. He could hardly bear the waiting, he had never had much patience. 

*

The sun had just risen when Baekhyun woke up, he heard the sound of the shower running. Baekhyun rolled over in bed, the space next to him was still warm. Baekhyun felt oddly content and calm. He had been so stressed out and anxious the last week he had forgotten how it had felt to wake up in the morning without drowning in worries and anger. He had worried about the stupidest things, at least now they sounded stupid to Baekhyun. But now that Chanyeol was here and they had made up everything seemed so silly. But then Baekhyun remembered Chanyeol’s secrecy that had drove him almost mad while Chanyeol had expected him to have no secrets before him.  
Their clothes were lying scattered all over the place, Chanyeol’s shirt had been thrown over a chair but had slid down. Something was hanging from the breast pocket. Baekhyun hesitated and felt very guilt when he pushed the blanket to the side and his hands slid into Chanyeol trousers that were lying on the ground. He searched the pockets but they were empty except for a coupon for a restaurant. Baekhyun tiptoed to the stool where Chanyeol’s shirt hung. In the breast pocket he found the key card for his apartment and a keychain with a thin object attached to it hanging out of the pocket. Baekhyun guessed that it was a transponder chip, most likely for his job.   
He heard how the shower sound stopped and he hurried back into bed and closed his eyes. He tried his best to breathe calmly as Chanyeol walked back into the room. He counted to 30 and then opened his eyes. He saw Chanyeol getting dressed and combing his hair in front of the little mirror across the room.  
“Good morning”, Baekhyun murmured. Chanyeol turned around with a wide smile.  
“Good morning”, he said and walked over to the bed. He leaned down and pecked Baekhyun’s lips.  
“I had no idea you had to get up this early”, Baekhyun groaned as he looked at his clock on the bedside table. It was 6 AM. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows.  
“I had not planned on spending the night somewhere else. There is a dress code, I have to get back to my apartment first and get changed”, he said. Baekhyun hummed.  
“A dress code?” he asked and glimpsed at Chanyeol with one eye. “What will you be wearing?” he asked then. Chanyeol side eyed him as he picked up his shoes.  
“A suit”, he said.  
“A sexy one?” Baekhyun asked with a grin. Chanyeol laughed.  
“A very sexy one”, he answered.  
“Will I see you in it some day?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol raised one eyebrow.  
“Maybe next time”, he said and kissed Baekhyun again.  
“Really?” Baekhyun asked happily.  
“Well, if I stay over again and it is planned, I will think of bringing some clothes and stuff with me so I don’t have to hurry back home again”, he said. Baekhyun smiled.   
“Sounds good”. Chanyeol left and Baekhyun got up to watch Chanyeol walk around the house up the street. Baekhyun pulled out his phone and called Kenta.

“Hello?”   
– “Kenta, this is Baekhyun”, he said as he laid back into bed.   
“Ah, good morning. You’re up early, university classes today?” Kenta asked. Baekhyun closed his eyes.  
“Yeah, but later. Actually I’m calling because of – what we talked about recently”, he said.  
Kenta said nothing at first, Baekhyun only heard him breathing. Baekhyun’s heart was racing against his chest. If Chanyeol was really involved in something dangerous then Baekhyun was doing the right thing. He was trying to protect him.  
“You’re the pro when it comes to technical stuff”, Baekhyun said.  
“Yeah”, Kenta said. Baekhyun held his breath for a second. But he had already told them that he would find out what Chanyeol was working on.  
“I know that one can scan a transponder key and clone it”, Baekhyun said.  
“You need me to clone a transponder chip?” Kenta asked.  
“No, I need you to show me how to do it myself. Show me the way to do it quickly, I have probably less than a couple of minutes to clone the transponder and it’s best if it does not leave any traces”, Baekhyun said. Kenta hummed.  
“The cloning process never leaves traces. But it takes time to scan and download all the information on a transponder key. Depending on how heavy the data is it could take longer than 5 minutes”, Kenta said.  
“I can meet you today in the afternoon and show you”, he added.  
“Good, I’ll come over”, Baekhyun said. 

 

Baekhyun had just settled down on the sofa next to Kenta when the door opened and Kyungsoo and Jongin came into the living room.  
“Oh hi”, Kyungsoo said surprised. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you actually managed to find out something?”   
Baekhyun looked at Kenta’s laptop screen. Kenta was chewing on his gum while he typed.  
“Okay, I’m loading this programme onto your phone with it you can scan the transponder and it will download every information on the key to your phone”, Kenta said. Baekhyun reached him his phone. Kyungsoo sat down next to them.  
“You just made up with Chanyeol and want to clone his keys?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun said nothing.  
“Are you okay with it?” Kenta asked as he connected Baekhyun’s phone to his laptop. Baekhyun took a deep breath.  
“You guys do not trust Junmyeon and if Chanyeol is working for him on a secret project it cannot mean anything good. I’m doing this to be prepared to help him should it be something dangerous. Chanyeol maybe doesn’t even know that Junmyeon could use his work for something bad”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo nodded.  
But Baekhyun noticed Jongin’s expression. The yellow eyes were generally hard to read and to find emotions in them was ever harder. But Baekhyun could see the disagreement on his face quite clearly.  
“You disagree?” he asked openly. Jongin looked at Baekhyun in surprise.  
“Junmyeon saved a lot of us”, he said simply. Kyungsoo huffed.  
“Yeah, so you’d owe him something that’s how he manipulates people”, he said sharply. “He doesn’t rely on loyalty”.   
They turned to the door where Minseok stood. It seemed like he, too, had just come back home. He took off his jacket and put it over his arm as he walked into the living room. His yellow eyes glowed.   
“He is convinced that our kind have no loyalty to any purist and neither to our own kind”, Minseok said. Kyungsoo bit his lip.   
“Yeah, that is true”. Minseok looked at him and Baekhyun shifted uncomfortably.   
Minseok made him nervous, he was not as tall as Jongin but his broad shoulders and the glint in his eyes made him look dangerous.  
“You think it is true that we are not loyal to anyone?” Minseok asked. Kyungsoo looked up, he didn’t seem to be intimidated by Minseok at all.  
“No, obviously I do not think that”, Kyungsoo said. Jongin made a sudden movement with his hand but Kyungsoo did not look at him.  
“I think that Junmyeon has that kind of mind set. The person he is trying to manipulate is me. He knows that I could not save Jongin so he did it for me, so I would be grateful to him and I would owe him”, Kyungsoo said bitterly.  
Baekhyun noticed that Jongin was staring so intensely at Kyungsoo and wondered how Kyungsoo could ignore that or not notice. The yellow eyes did not seem to unsettle Kyungsoo at all. But Jongin’s gaze was not like Minseok’s, there was not the same sense of threat. Baekhyun could not tell what it was in Jongin’s eyes that was so different. Kenta interrupted his thought process as he gave him back his phone.  
“Okay, here you go”, Kenta said.  
“Thanks”, Baekhyun said. “Well, I will go then”, he added and made his way quickly out of the house.

It was rather cool outside but on Baekhyun’s temples the sweat rolled down. He could hardly concentrate during his university class and when he went home he stared at his own reflection in the mirror for an hour.   
“What the hell am I doing?” Baekhyun murmured. The person in the mirror looked different, it seemed no surprise that Kyungsoo had noticed the difference. Was he really going to spy on Chanyeol like that because of the slight hunch he had that there might be a secret plan going on? Wasn’t he just paranoid and jealous that Chanyeol had secrets he wouldn’t share with him? Was he just looking for excuses and had pulled everyone else into his strange paranoia?

The next day when Baekhyun got out of his last class, he saw that someone was already waiting for him in the corridor.  
“Ah, it’s nice to be back here”, Chanyeol said looking around.   
“You talk as if you haven’t been here since years and not one semester”, Baekhyun said with his eyebrows raised. Chanyeol grinned.  
“It feels like years”, he shot back.  
“Old man”, Baekhyun muttered.  
“I heard that”, Chanyeol said softly but threw his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and pulled him into his side as they left the building.  
“Where are we going?” Baekhyun asked but he didn’t really care. Chanyeol’s arm around his shoulder felt nice. Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol who smiled.  
“Wherever you want to go”, Chanyeol said.  
“Let’s jump into the river”, Baekhyun teased. Chanyeol opened his mouth, there was a tiny frown between his eyebrows, then he laughed.  
“You almost got me”, Chanyeol said laughing and leaned down to kiss Baekhyun.   
Why did it all feel so very different from the first time they had been together as a couple? There was no awkward silence or insecurity about how to behave. Baekhyun leaned into Chanyeol and sighed happily.   
“Let’s just sit down somewhere”, he murmured.   
They settled down at their usual old spot at the river but this time Baekhyun did not jump in. As they lay in the sun and looked up into a clear blue sky, Baekhyun felt as if he could dive right into the sky and fly. He almost forgot he had insisted on spying for Jongdae. It was easy to forget when he was back together with Chanyeol. It was almost winter by now, the evenings could get rather cold while they temperatures during the day were comfortably warm, compared to the sizzling hot summer days. The grass they were laying on was cool and moist but Baekhyun hardly noticed. He was half lying on top of Chanyeol, snuggling into him.  
“What’s gotten into you?” Chanyeol murmured, playing with Baekhyun’s hair.  
“You’re so cuddly all of a sudden. I’m not complaining”, he added quickly. Baekhyun raised his face and smiled.  
“I missed you a lot”, Baekhyun said. “Don’t disappear like that ever again”, he murmured then burying his face back in Chanyeol’s chest.   
“No… I won’t”, Chanyeol said quietly.   
Baekhyun didn’t dare to lift his head. If they looked into each other’s eyes now, they would have only seen that both of them still kept an enormous secret. The way Chanyeol had said it, it had sounded like a lie and that was why Baekhyun held tightly onto Chanyeol. He didn’t know why but suddenly Chanyeol’s secret was not only something that annoyed him because it was kept from him – it scared him. His job scared Baekhyun because he could feel that it scared Chanyeol, too. There was something about the job itself that made Chanyeol keep it a secret, not just because he had been prohibited to tell anyone. Had it not been for this small moment of shadow and reminder of the underlying secret, Baekhyun would have forgotten the original plan. He still allowed himself a few more days of relaxing with Chanyeol but the thought of their plan was tugging at his insides. It got uncomfortable to sit next to Chanyeol, to walk next to him and hold his hand while he kept thinking about the transponder key in his pocket and how to copy it without Chanyeol noticing.   
There was never a proper chance for it or maybe Baekhyun didn’t want to see one. The guilt of trying to spy on Chanyeol weighted too heavy. 

Almost a week had passed since he had met Jongdae and he had insisted on joining in on their secret mission. Baekhyun had sat in his room all day which was untypical of him. Chanyeol had been busy and whenever Baekhyun was alone these days, he locked himself in his room or the library and the dark thoughts almost devoured him.

“Baekhyun”.  
He flinched and turned around. His room was already half dark but he recognised Chanyeol immediately.  
“You did not lock your door! Are you okay?” Chanyeol complained but half way changed his tone.  
“What are you standing in the dark for? Is something wrong?” he asked as he took off his jacket. Baekhyun quickly crossed the room and pulled Chanyeol into a hug. He buried his face in Chanyeol’s chest and the guilt felt so heavy, his knees were shaking.  
“Baekhyun…”, Chanyeol murmured perplex. Then he closed his arms around Baekhyun and held him. He could feel the transponder in the pocket of Chanyeol’s jacket that was hanging from Chanyeol’s arm. It was resting against Baekhyun’s side.   
“Are you going to stay the night?” Baekhyun asked after a while. He took Chanyeol’s jacket and put it on the bed, he sneaked his mobile phone under the jacket with the transponder. Chanyeol stroked over Baekhyun’s hair.   
“Not tonight. I have a night shift today”, Chanyeol said.   
“A night shift?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol hummed as he pulled Baekhyun into another embrace.  
“Yeah, I’m doing a few extra hours”, he murmured.  
“So you will be working tomorrow the entire day as well?” Baekhyun asked. He felt how Chanyeol leaned back a little to look at him but by now it was already dark in the room.   
“Yeah, why are you asking?” Chanyeol asked sceptically.  
“I want to know when I will see you again”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol’s face changed immediately but Baekhyun could not read the strange expression on his face.   
“How about tomorrow night?” he asked and cupped his face.  
“Sounds good”, Baekhyun said and tiptoed to kiss Chanyeol.  
“If you have a night shift, why are you here then?” Baekhyun asked when he pulled back. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows.   
“Really? Maybe I wanted to see you, too”, he said.   
Baekhyun laughed to cover up his sudden uneasy feeling. He had had the same feeling when he and Chanyeol had been in the University Park and Chanyeol had promised to never leave and disappear again like he had. Chanyeol leaned down and kissed him. Baekhyun stumbled backwards from Chanyeol’s sudden intense kiss. He bumped into the wall and gasped. Chanyeol groaned.   
“You make it really hard for me, you know”, Chanyeol murmured. Baekhyun grinned, then he turned serious. He ran his fingers across Chanyeol’s cheek.  
“Are you okay, Chanyeol?” he asked quietly. Chanyeol looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”   
Baekhyun looked at him and then shrugged. “I don’t know”, he murmured.  
The guilt was unbearable, he had no idea why he had been so obsessed about Chanyeol being involved in some plan.   
“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked back. Baekhyun’s hands held tightly onto Chanyeol’s shirt.  
“No”, he whispered. Chanyeol leaned down and pulled him into a hug.  
“What is wrong, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked gently. “Do you want me to stay?”   
Baekhyun buried his face into Chanyeol’s shoulder but there were no tears.   
“Yeah, but you have to go to work”, Baekhyun murmured. Chanyeol stroked through Baekhyun’s hair.  
“Whatever it is you can tell me”, Chanyeol whispered. They sat down on the bed. Baekhyun bit his lip and his eyes fell on Chanyeol’s jacket. He could only hope that the program had copied the transponder in the meantime.  
“Promise me something”, Baekhyun said then. Chanyeol held his breath for a long moment.  
“What is it?” he asked then. Baekhyun leaned over to Chanyeol to secretly smuggle his phone back into his pocket. The phone in his hand felt heavy, even heavier than his heart. Had it not been dark Chanyeol would have noticed. He had just started his sentence when a beeping sound interrupted them. Chanyeol pulled out his phone from his pocket.  
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun. What is it?” Chanyeol asked as he shortly glimpsed at the text and then put his own phone away. Chanyeol was trying to hide it but Baekhyun could see that something was wrong. Baekhyun shook his head.  
“You’re in a hurry. Not now, tomorrow evening”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol frowned a bit. Baekhyun shook his head and reached for Chanyeol’s hand.   
“I certainly don’t want to break up with you. I just want to talk about something”, Baekhyun said. Chanyeol relaxed a bit and leaned down to kiss him.   
“Okay, don’t do anything stupid while I’m away. See you tomorrow”, Chanyeol said and left. Baekhyun closed his eyes and nodded.  
“You, too…”, he murmured. He bit his lip when he heard the door closing. Baekhyun checked the window and saw Chanyeol getting into a taxi. Baekhyun quickly called Kenta.  
“It’s me. Chanyeol just got a text that worried him. He has a night shift tonight so I think it is related to his job”, Baekhyun said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my Chanbaek focused chapter to make up for their little break. I debated for a long time whether to or not to put their first time in the story or not. I am usually very eager and happy to write (very detailed) smut but it doesn't really fit this story or so I feel...   
> I hope you still enjoyed this chapter!


	17. Sixteen

The wind was blowing the once colourful fabric sheets, the sun had bleached those near the entrance. Sand had wafted into the hall and lay in small golden hillocks in the corners and walls. It was very quiet. The hot sun cast a long shadow into the hall. A girl was standing there in the middle of the hall, surrounded by the sheets hanging from the ceiling, forming tents. The silence was broken by crunching steps and a young man entered the hall.

 “You lived here?” he asked in a brisk voice.  
The girl turned around and eyed the man. He was tall and lean, his yellow eyes were glowing in the shadowy hall. His skin was almost the same colour as the black long clothes he wore.  
  “Yeah”, she said. “Let’s hurry”, she added.  
The two walked to the tent at the end of the hall and pulled the sheets to the side. The young man produced a small device that he switched on and it illuminated the tent.  
  “Whose stuff is this?” he asked looking around. His cool face now filled with interest. The girl let her fingers run over the fabrics that had once created a bed.  
  “Hers”, she said with a strange look in her eyes.  
The light from the little device fell on her arms that were covered in fine white lines, the tattoos shone like scars in the light.  
  “She was number nine”, she added then. His eyes seemed to light up at that information.  
  “Kyu”, he said quietly.  
  “That’s right”, the girl said.  
  “You followed her”, the man guessed.  
  “I did – I do”, she corrected herself then.

Then she frowned and lifted the fabrics from the ground and revealed a sandy battered bag. Kyu had told her to go back and get her stuff from the shelter. Once she had made it into the city people might come and look for the shelter. For some reason Kyu did not want her maps and other documents she had written and collected to fall into anyone’s hands. But Kyu had trusted her with this task!  
Her, Sarah. Kyu trusted her Sarah thought and pride filled her chest. Kyu trusted no one but her. Ever since their first meeting they had stuck together, Sarah had never left her side. When Kyu had taken off to the camps to kill the camp leaders it had been the first time since their first meeting for them to separate. Sarah had obeyed Kyu’s orders to look for those who had killed everyone at camp three and escaped. It had taken her a little over a month to find all of them. One had died, so there were only three yellow eyed who Sarah had told about her mission and convinced them to join her. It had been surprisingly easy to convince the three. However her mission was something they would have wanted anyway.  
Thanks to Sarah’s connections and network of her own people, she knew that Junmyeon who had betrayed the group had managed to get into the city, followed by Kyungsoo, the army guy. Sarah also knew that months later the rest of the group had managed to break into the city as well. She had not heard from Kyu ever since, however, and she would deny it but it worried her greatly. Only a little while later, her brother who had helped her occasionally in finding the other yellow eyed ones had left her side, her family, their tribe. Sarah’s motivation for her mission had turned into a more personal one than before. She knew that her brother had left the family to go into the city. A man had taken him with him. He had made her brother promises, stupid and unlikely ones but her brother had believed them anyway and had left the family to go with him.  
Sarah’s anger was boiling inside her stomach as she thought of the man who had taken her brother from the family.

 “There were a few weapons in the basement, you were right”, another voice said. They turned around and another yellow eyed boy entered the tent. He was carrying several weapons and a very ugly smirk.  
  “These wooden swords will surely help us get into the city”, he said sarcastically. Sarah glared at him.  
  “We won’t need weapons to break into the city. Like I said, we will use a secret tunnel. Look for good shoes instead, it will be a long walk”, Sarah said.  
  “You walked through the tunnel before?” the dark skinned man asked.  
Sarah threw the bag over her shoulder and took one of the fabrics from the bed and wrapped it around her neck.  
  “No, but my brother did”, she said. The fabric smelled of dust and sand, it had long lost the smell of warm skin.  
  “But you know the way?” the other yellow eyed boy asked sceptically.  
  “Yeah, just walk straight ahead”, Sarah said. “And don’t get caught by the city police. Once we’re inside the city we have to be even more careful. My contact has told me the exact place of Dr Kim’s house and his grandson Junmyeon, another scientist is living there as well”, she said.  
  “His grandson is continuing the scientist’s work?” they asked. Sarah grimaced.  
  “He most likely is. He used to be on our side but abandoned us which caused the riots at camp two. A lot were imprisoned again, hurt and killed”, Sarah said darkly. She did not tell them that it had been Junmyeon who had ended the riot as well. Sarah did not trust him after all and he was the grandson of Dr Kim.  
  “So his head is the first one we’re getting?” the younger yellow eyed boy asked. Sarah looked into his glowing eyes. Her brown ones met the yellow ones.  
  “Yeah and after that we go for the Feng group”, she said.

*

Baekhyun was anxious, his fingers were trembling so he clutched his mobile phone tighter. He had immediately called Kenta after Chanyeol had left. The text message he had received had bothered Chanyeol and his visit over all had been somehow strange. Baekhyun hated spying on Chanyeol but on the one hand he had promised Jongdae and the others to help – he had insisted himself to help them – and on the other hand he wanted to know himself whether Chanyeol was in trouble.

 “Yeah, alright. I’ll check his phone”, Kenta said. There was silence for a moment then Kenta breathed in slowly.  
  “What is it?” Baekhyun asked anxiously.  
  “It is a code. I’ve seen it before”, Kenta said. “I’ll show it to Minseok”, Kenta said. Baekhyun grabbed his jacket and hurried out of his house.  
  “Are you coming over?” Kenta asked hearing Baekhyun breathing fast while jogging up the street.  
  “Yeah, Chanyeol was behaving strangely. He visited me and said he wanted to see me but I think he came for a different reason”, Baekhyun said pressed.  
  “What reason?” Kenta asked. There was a different voice in the background.  
  “Is that Minseok?” Baekhyun asked breathlessly. “What does the code say?” he continued.  
  “Not on the phone”, Kenta said. “When will you be here?” But a voice interrupted them.  
  “No, he cannot come. Tell him to stay at home”, Minseok said sharply.  
  “Absolutely not, something is wrong! I’m almost there, you promised me to not cut me off last minute. Apart from that, I have copied the damn transponder just now”, Baekhyun called angrily.  
Other voices mixed into the background, it seemed like everyone had assembled at the house. Baekhyun ran faster although his sides were burning and he could hardly breathe anymore.  
  “Baekhyun, go back home”. It was Kyungsoo now on the phone.  
  “You – know – I won’t”, Baekhyun gasped. “Chanyeol is in danger, isn’t he? Is he?” he called.

Then he finally spotted Jongdae’s house, the lights were on in the kitchen. He rapped hard against the door and Kyungsoo opened the door. They both hung up and Kyungsoo let him in.  
  “What is going on?” Baekhyun asked. Everyone looked very serious.  
  “To be honest, I thought you were just making something up”, Minseok said. The look in his eyes was steely and Baekhyun shivered.  
  “I had not thought you would actually stumble across something like this”, Minseok added. Baekhyun held his sides that were still hurting and looked at Jongdae and then at Kyungsoo.  
  “What? What is it?” he asked, the panic made his throat close up. Kyungsoo put his hand onto Baekhyun’s shoulder.  
  “Please”, Baekhyun said quietly, now close to tears.  
  “I think Chanyeol came to say goodbye”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo shot him a glare.  
  “What?” Baekhyun asked in a high voice.  
  “No, no. Don’t panic, okay. He helped Junmyeon with something and yes, you were right. It was illegal and he might be sent to prison for that. That is why he came to see you”, Kyungsoo said quickly.  
  “No, he said he would come and see me tomorrow”, Baekhyun said and shook his head.  
  “Yeah, if their plan works out. Then no one will know that Chanyeol was even involved but since he has doubts and came to see you…”, Jongdae added.  
  "The message said that their plan had changed. It contained a keyword that warned Chanyeol because he ignored the initial order to cut ties with everyone. And the order to come to the arranged place immediately", Kyungsoo explained.

There was a clicking sound and they all whirled around. Someone was breaking into their house. Kyungsoo grabbed Baekhyun and pushed him under the table. Baekhyun gulped hard when he saw how Jongdae pulled a gun and Minseok held a knife ready as they all looked at the door. The door opened and Baekhyun held his breath.

 “Don’t shoot”, the tall man gasped as he came into the kitchen. Jongdae stared at him and put his gun down hesitantly.  
  “Yifan”, Jongdae said. Yifan looked dishevelled and completely stressed out. Sweat was running down his face.  
  “Kyungsoo”, he said. Kyungsoo looked taken aback at being addressed.  
  “Here”, Yifan said and handed him a case which was about the size of Kyungsoo’s hand.  
  “Bring it to the court, now. You need to hurry and try not to attract any attention. Use the back entrance. Go!” Yifan said. Kyungsoo stared at him.  
  “What the heck are you talking about? What is this?” Kyungsoo asked. Yifan looked distressed and pushed his hair back.  
  “Evidence which needs to be brought to the court immediately before it’s too late”, Yifan pressed on.  
  “What kind of evidence? And why would Junmyeon ask you to give it to me?” Kyungsoo asked sceptically.  
  “Because everyone knows about your dispute, they will not suspect you first as the one who has it. Also, Junmyeon said you owe him something”, Yifan said. Kyungsoo opened the case and to his surprise inside was a pair of glasses.  
  “Glasses?” he asked confused.  
  “Yeah, Junmyeon recorded and stored all evidence on them. Now hurry and bring them to Judge Kyle Han. Do not talk to anyone else, do not give them to anyone else but him. He knows what it is”, Yifan pressed on. Kyungsoo took the glasses out and put them on.  
  “What evidence?” Minseok asked as Kyungsoo looked through the glasses with a deep frown.

There was nothing unusual about the glasses except that the glass was really just glass it did not contort his sight. Yifan wiped his forehead.  
  “Against a so called F.E.N.G. group”, Yifan said. Everyone was very quiet and looked at each other. Kyungsoo’s expression changed immediately.  
  “He – he investigated the Feng group?” Kyungsoo asked. Yifan looked harassed.  
  “Yes, of course what else do you think he was doing as the governor’s advisor? So please, go and bring the evidence to Judge Kyle. He needs to issue the arrest warrants for the group before they can arrest us first! Do you understand?” Yifan called. Kyungsoo opened his mouth, it was all rather hard to believe.  
  “I want to see it”, he demanded. Yifan cursed.  
  “These are specially developed glasses, they are designed so you won’t know that they can record and store footage on them. Let Judge Kyle show them to you but you must go immediately. I have to return to Junmyeon”, Yifan pressed on.  
  “Well by coming here you will have already spoilt everything, haven’t you?” Kyungsoo asked. “They would know who lives here”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “I came here under the pretence of hiring Minseok for a job. This was officially discussed a couple of days ago so I had a reason to come here without it looking strange!” Yifan said stressed.  
  “Specially designed glasses?” Baekhyun asked as he crawled out from under the table. Yifan frowned as he looked at him.  
  “Who the hell is that?” he asked.  
  “A friend”, Jongdae said and waved with his hand.  
  “Chanyeol developed them?” Baekhyun asked and took the glasses.  
He tapped the sides gently and rolled the temple stem then he looked through them, knowing Chanyeol’s style very well. “Oh god”, he murmured but Kyungsoo immediately took them from Baekhyun to look through them as well. Within seconds Kyungsoo turned around.  
  “I’m going”, he murmured and hurried to the kitchen door. Jongin got to his feet.  
  “I’m coming with you”. Kyungsoo hesitated but then nodded and the two headed into the living room.  
  “What is going on? Can someone explain what the hell is going on?” Baekhyun asked. But no one answered him, instead Jongdae turned to Yifan.  
  “So Junmyeon continued the job of looking for the group?” Jongdae asked.  
He exchanged a look with Minseok and shook his head. There was disbelief on his face.  
  “Yes, he knew that they were wealthy and influential people in the city. So he put everything on becoming the governor’s advisor”, Yifan said.  
  “That way he could find out who was involved in the entire project… that’s the last I had expected this plan to be about”, Jongdae murmured.  
  “Sorry but what is this group?” Baekhyun asked.  
  “They sponsored the project Aureum Luscus”, Minseok said. “They are responsible for everything that happened to us”. Jongdae shook his head.  
  “I can’t believe it. He found out all the members of this group?” he asked. Yifan frowned.  
  “All the members? There are only four. It is not about a person called Feng, the group was named after the initials of their names. And Junmyeon is meeting them right now”, Yifan said.  
  “What?” Jongdae called.  
  “Okay, so Junmyeon is actually the good guy now?” Baekhyun asked. “What is he meeting them for?” he added when no one reacted to his first question.  
Yifan looked at Jongdae and nodded. “To kill them”, Jongdae answered Baekhyun’s question. Baekhyun gulped.  
  “And what is Chanyeol’s role in that?” he asked.  
  “Who is Chanyeol?” Yifan asked.  
  “He developed those glasses and probably developed other stuff to spy on the Feng group, I suppose”, Kenta said.  
  “Ah, the technic guy?” Yifan asked. Baekhyun nodded.  
  “He is with Junmyeon”, Yifan said. Baekhyun jumped to his feet, now pale.  
  “He is with Junmyeon?” he asked.  
  “Of course, Junmyeon’s house is the usual meeting spot because it has the best surveillance and security measures”, Yifan said.  
  “But what is Chanyeol doing there?” Baekhyun shouted and grabbed Yifan’s shirt trying to shake the tall man.  
  “To turn off the security cameras in the right moment and erase all evidence on what Junmyeon is doing right now”. Baekhyun gasped.  
  “We need to go”, he called.  
  “Are you stupid?” Yifan called.  
  “It’s four against one. What if Junmyeon doesn’t make it and they escape and kill Chanyeol?” Baekhyun shouted. “What if they call the police?”  
Minseok stepped forward and eyed Yifan.  
  “Jongdae was training you to be Junmyeon’s bodyguard. Shouldn’t you be there with him?” he asked. Yifan looked at him.  
  “Not if that was never Junmyeon’s intention”, Jongdae said quietly shaking his head.  
  “I honestly thought I was training you so you could do the dirty job for Junmyeon in the end”, Jongdae said. Yifan’s face hardened.  
  “Oh, so it is your job to help him kill them?” Jongdae asked.

Baekhyun stared at Yifan, then he stepped forward and pulled his shirt to the side. There were white lines like tattoos on his shoulders.  
  “You’re a shamag”, Baekhyun called. “I thought you were familiar”, he whispered.  
  “Familiar?” Yifan asked, furrowing his brows. He stepped back and his shirt fell back into place.  
  “A shamag?” Minseok asked. “Is that what you call the desert tribe that goes around raiding smaller villages?”  
Baekhyun and Yifan stared at each other.  
  “Shamag are people who were exiled from the city. Usually criminals. I guess that they have a gang or something the like they join to survive in the desert. How did you get back into the city?” Baekhyun asked.  
  “I don’t even want to ask how you come to know him then”, Jongdae said through gritted teeth.  
  “If you’re going back to Junmyeon to help him kill those four guys, I’ll come with you. I need to make sure that nothing happens to Chanyeol”, Baekhyun just said.  
  “And what exactly do you want to do? What can you do to help?” Yifan asked coldly. He checked something like a watch on his wrist.  
  “Kyungsoo is almost at the court, as soon as he has brought Judge Kyle Han the glasses I need to go back”, he said.  
  “There is a tracker in the glasses?” Kenta asked curiously leaning over to see Yifan’s watch.  
  “Yeah”, Yifan said.  
  “Well, how exactly do you guys plan to kill those four guys?” Minseok asked, twirling the knife between his fingers. Yifan looked at him.  
  “Junmyeon did not want to drag any of you into this. This is his plan, his thing”, he said.  
  “But he dragged you into it”, Jongdae said. Yifan lifted his chin a little.  
  “I made a deal with him, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed. I have nothing to lose. You all have something to lose”, he said.

 

Kyungsoo was trying hard not to walk too fast, he had his arm linked with Jongin’s to force himself to walk slower. Jongin constantly glanced at him. It was hard to accept that Junmyeon had been on their side the entire time. Or was that just another trick? But what benefit would Junmyeon gain from exposing the Feng group? Maybe Kyungsoo was too stubborn to accept that Junmyeon had really been trying to help and do something good. It had been Junmyeon who had saved Jongin twice, he had let Kyungsoo into the city. He had abandoned all his friends to infiltrate the elite of the city to find out who was a member of the Feng group. Kyungsoo knew he was only refusing to believe it to postpone his guilt. He had made it extra hard for Junmyeon because of their fights.  
He glanced at a few more clips of the evidence material.

_Four men in suits around a round table, one of them looked familiar. Somehow he made Kyungsoo think of the university. Was he a professor at the university? The four men were discussing things but it was so loud in the streets that Kyungsoo couldn’t hear the audio. The clip changed and the four men were watching a video of a room. A person was in the room – a person with yellow eyes. No, the person had only one yellow eye the other was of a normal brown. His hands and legs had been cuffed, his body was covered in bruises and cuts and other injuries. The Aureum Luscus was screaming, his eyes widened in anger and panic. Another person entered – a guard – and even though Kyungsoo couldn’t properly hear the audio he understood what one of the four men said. He had been in that situation before himself while he had been with the military. The man from the Feng group had given the guard the order to kill the Aureum Luscus. The guard raised his gun and shot. Kyungsoo closed his eyes in disgust. Had they killed the boy because he was a failed experiment?_

 “Kyungsoo, we’re there. That is the court building”, Jongin said.  
Kyungsoo looked up and let go of Jongin’s arm. He needed to hear it all from Junmyeon personally. If Junmyeon had really been continuing their mission, Kyungsoo needed to apologise and make up with him. But right now, nothing made sense to him.  
They walked through the large hall and then through the swing doors, upstairs onto the first floor. Down the corridors, they passed several security staff and Kyungsoo tried to look calm. But Jongin’s eyes attracted attention and a security officer stopped them when they had reached the corridor to Judge Kyle Han’s office.  
  “Excuse me, sir”, the officer said. Kyungsoo looked at him.  
  “Yes?” he asked.  
  “May I ask what you are doing here?” the officer said politely.  
  “I have an appointment here”, Kyungsoo said calmly.

The officer looked at Jongin and Kyungsoo was doing some quick thinking. There was only one other security officer on this corridor, he was however standing near the elevator and could not see them here. But if he knocked out the officer it would attract attention and get them into trouble. They needed enough time to show Judge Han the evidence and Kyungsoo didn’t know what exactly Junmyeon had stored on the glasses. Quite possible pictures or videos.  
  “An appointment?” the officer asked.  
  “Judge Sato asked me to help him out with a case”, Jongin suddenly said. The officer looked at him surprised.  
  “Yes, I have helped out a few times before. He wanted me to evaluate and check on some cases”, Jongin said.  
  “I will check on that, please wait here”, the officer said and walked over to Judge Sato’s office.  
Kyungsoo’s breath quickened and he dared a look at Jongin. The officer knocked on Judge Sato’s office door and Jongin nudged Kyungsoo into the side.  
  “Go”, he whispered.  
Kyungsoo did not hesitate and as Jongin walked up behind the officer to distract him, Kyungsoo continued walking ahead and slipped into Judge Han’s office. He closed the door and saw a young man with black hair wearing similar glasses to the ones Kyungsoo had now on his nose. Judge Han stared at him surprised.

 “Uh good day, sir. Can I help you?” he asked. Kyungsoo nodded.  
  “Dr Kim Junmyeon sends me”, Kyungsoo said.  
The judge got to his feet immediately and Kyungsoo walked over to him while taking off the glasses. They exchanged their glasses without a word and then Judge Han sat down and gently tapped the side of the glasses. He rolled the temple stem between his fingers, looking straight ahead, watching the evidence clips through the glasses. Kyungsoo’s heart was racing, there was no sound to be heard from the corridor. He wondered what Jongin was doing.  
  “Good”, Judge Han said.  
He took the glasses down and touched them to the screen on his desk, it seemed to download all the data. Then he reached into a drawer. He pulled out a few sheets of paper and signed them, he put them on the screen and said: “Issue arrest warrants. Copy signature”.  
There was a peeping sound and the familiar electronical voice said: “Issuing warrants. Scanning signature. Please confirm identity”.  
Judge Kyle Han put his hand on the screen so it could take his hand print.  
  “My name is Kyle Han”, he said.  
  “Voice identification: complete. Hand print scan: complete. Signature scan: complete. Identity confirmed. Arrest warrants have been issued”, the electronical voice continued.  
  “What now?” Kyungsoo asked.  
  “These are discharge papers as well as arrest warrants”, the judge said.  
  “I’m not a police officer”, Kyungsoo said tensely.  
  “No, but the police is corrupted. The governor has wanted a special task force ever since the Aureum Luscus case got revealed”, the judge said.  
  “A special task force?” Kyungsoo asked.  
  “Originally to re-establish order in the city but he did not specify what exactly that entails. In his eyes criminality has gone up ever since the Aureum Luscus are in our city. Truth is it has been increasing for a while now, he had only been looking for a scapegoat. I still have the papers here and I congratulate Lieutenant Do, you are now the leader of this special task force”, Judge Han said.  
  “Excuse me?” Kyungsoo asked confused and overwhelmed. Judge Han tapped onto the screen.  
  “Open Do Kyungsoo’s file. Appoint him the leader position of the city’s anti-corruption task force. Recover status as Lieutenant”, Judge Kyle said.  
Kyungsoo stared at the judge.  
  “What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked anxiously.  
  “Ex-Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo, re-installed Lieutenant, appointed to the position as leader for the city’s anti-corruption task force. Signed by”, the electronical voice said.  
  “Judge Kyle Hand”, the judge said. Then he shook the watch around his wrist so it slid further down his wrist and put it on the screen.  
  “Download the permission of the governor to appoint members of the new task force”, Judge Kyle said. Kyungsoo watched in awe how a new document appeared on the screen and the governor’s sign was added to Judge Kyle Han’s.  
  “Transfer permission to appoint new members of the task force to Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo”, Judge Kyle added. He leaned forward while the computer processed the task and Kyungsoo heard steps on the corridor outside.  
  “Don’t you understand? Hurry up and help Junmyeon before it is too late. You are now legitimated to carry a weapon and do whatever you have to do”, he whispered pressed. Kyungsoo jumped to his feet while Judge Han tapped away on his screen.  
  “Arrest warrants send. Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo’s status officially confirmed”, the electronical voice said.  
  “Where did you sent them to?” Kyungsoo asked.  
  “The governor”, Judge Han said. “Now go”, he said.  
Kyungsoo had just opened the door when he turned around again and closed it.  
  “The Feng group. What do I need to know?” he asked. Judge Han looked up.  
  “Feng are the initials for the four members. Fan, the Chief Judge and Espinosa, the university president and Nam, the police commissioner and lastly Commander Goda, from the Ministry of Security and coordinator of the 5 military bases in the desert cities. They all regularly hold meetings with other influential and rich people of the city. Junmyeon collected evidence that they were trying to bribe the governor should he not agree to be part of their plans. Junmyeon was supposed to persuade the governor into making deals with the Feng group. He should be meeting them now to tell them about the governor’s final decision”, Judge Han said. Kyungsoo nodded.

So that’s why one of the men had looked so familiar. Pictures of Espinosa, the university president, hung everywhere in the big lecture halls of the university as well as the entrance and festival hall. Kyungsoo left the office and immediately jumped through the door of a broom cupboard when he heard the elevator. The corridor had been deserted, Kyungsoo had no idea where Jongin was and whether his plan – should he had had one – had worked. There were multiple footsteps passing through the corridor. Then a door was pushed open.  
  “Judge Han, we have an official warrant. The wanted person has been reported to be meeting you here today”, a loud voice said. Kyungsoo peered through a gap in the door.  
  “Who might that be?” the judge asked calmly.  
Kyungsoo hurried out of the broom cupboard and stopped in front of Judge Sato’s office. The door was opened and he was pulled inside.  
  “Shh”, Jongin whispered.  
Kyungsoo looked around, prepared for the worst. But Judge Sato was sitting in his chair and the security guard was lying on the floor, there were no wounds or blood.  
  “They’re unconscious”, Jongin said quietly. “Take his gun”, Jongin said peering through the door and listening hard.  
  “Once they’ve left we take the back exit. I know a quick way to Junmyeon’s house”, Jongin said.  
Kyungsoo quickly filled in Jongin on the new information he had gotten from Judge Han as he picked up the gun. Jongin bit his lip.  
  “It won’t matter. They don’t trust Junmyeon anymore, they found out that he has had them watched”, Jongin said.  
  “How do you know?” Kyungsoo asked confused. Jongin nodded over to the unconscious Judge sitting in his chair.  
  “There were complaints and reports on stalking on his screen. And he was talking to someone on the phone and mentioned Junmyeon’s name when we just stood outside his office”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
  “Your ears are more than amazing”, he murmured. Jongin smiled.  
  “Okay, they’re leaving. We have to hurry, they are looking for Yifan with an official arrest warrant”, Jongin said.  
  “Junmyeon probably doesn’t know that the Feng group don’t trust him anymore. They will probably try to get rid of him in some way”, Jongin said.  
Kyungsoo nodded. His heart was racing against his chest.  
 “Let’s go”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The action is back on!!  
> The chapter is a little shorter than the others because I don't want to cut off in the middle of all the action and leave you with a major cliffhanger.  
> Also a lot happened in this chapter so I didn't want to hit you with all the sudden happenings and confuse you...
> 
> I will try to update on this weekend. We will learn more about Junmyeon's plan and what Yifan and the rest of the group will do!


	18. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here comes the early update!

 “Look, I’ll go with Yifan”, Jongdae said pressed.  
  “No, I’m coming, too”, Baekhyun threw in.  
  “Me too”, Minseok added darkly.  
  “Forget it. Beside Yifan and me no one has a weapon and officially no one of us is even allowed a weapon, we cannot storm in there. How could we possibly help Junmyeon or anyone in there?” Jongdae said angrily.  
  “Did those four guys bring security guards? Bodyguards or anything?” he asked Yifan. Yifan shook his head.  
  “Not directly, they didn’t accompany them into the house but I assume they won’t be far. As soon as they think Junmyeon poses a threat to them or they sense that something is off, they will probably call in their people. And they certainly have weapons and they will be more than us. There would be their private security and some bribed police officers, Junmyeon thinks that they bribed quite a few officers”, Yifan said.  
  “What the hell was Junmyeon thinking?” Jongdae groaned. Yifan sighed and rubbed his eyes.  
  “He is going to poison them and he has a gun and a knife, should someone get sceptical or should something go wrong”, Yifan said.  
  “But it’s still four to one, even if they’re old men”, Baekhyun said. “What if they suspect something and call in their backup? What if they know that Junmyeon is a spy?”  
 Yifan shook his head. “We can’t lose more time. I’m leaving now”, Yifan said looking at his watch. “Great, Judge Kyle Han got the evidence”, he murmured.  
  “I’m coming with you. Baekhyun, you stay here”, Jongdae said sharply.

Minseok made a strange face, they looked at each other and then finally Jongdae went without asking Minseok. Baekhyun looked torn when Yifan and Jongdae left. Minseok clenched his fists and chewed on his lip. Kenta sat down and opened his laptop.  
  “What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked.  
  “I’m trying to hack into Junmyeon’s security system. Maybe I can get into a security camera so we can see what is going on”, Kenta said.  
  “What do we do now?” Baekhyun asked. “You won’t sit around, will you?” he asked Minseok. Minseok glared at him.  
  “No, I’m working out a strategy that makes more sense than running blindly to Junmyeon’s house. We don’t know anything about those four people, I need an analysis of risks and dangers. Kenta”, Minseok said.  
  “Here we go”, Kenta said. “So I am not as far as being able to get a glimpse into the house but it seems like there are no people outside the house. If there is a backup team or whatever, they are hiding a bit further away. You’ve been to the house, right? Can you draw a layout?” Kenta asked. Minseok nodded and grabbed the tablet.  
  “I guess they’ll be holding their meeting here”, Minseok added once he was finished. Baekhyun stared at him.  
  “That – was amazing”, he murmured.  
Minseok shortly looked at him but said nothing. Minseok pointed to a room on the first floor in the west wing.  
 “It is an office. There are quite some security measures and as far as I know you need to overcome an iris scan and a finger print scan to get into the room”, Minseok said.  
  “That is crazy, who needs that?” Baekhyun said.  
  “Okay”, Minseok murmured ignoring Baekhyun. “Once we’re inside we need your help, Kenta. You need to warn us if more people are coming”, Minseok said. Kenta nodded, his eyes following the way on the layout Minseok had described.  
  “Especially here and here”, Minseok said and indicated two blind spots on the layout.  
  “Here, take these”, Kenta said and threw them two ear pieces.  
  “What are those?” Minseok asked.  
  “Keeps your hands free, better than phones, right?” Kenta said. Minseok nodded. They shortly discussed a few more potential risks and planned their route through the house. Then they took off.

 “What about the weapons now?” Baekhyun asked nervously. Minseok didn’t look altogether happy that Baekhyun had come along.  
  “Hands will do. Why are you asking? You surely have never used a weapon before have you?” Minseok said roughly. Baekhyun cleared his throat as they hurried along the street and Minseok turned around with furrowed brows.  
  “Not to shoot at humans at least. But I might know where we can get some”, Baekhyun said. Minseok grabbed him.  
  “Are you kidding me and you tell me just now? Where?” he called and shook Baekhyun. Baekhyun looked startled.  
  “This way”, he said and led the way through a side alley.  
Baekhyun jogged through the maze of side-alleys and stopped in front of a small house. He knocked and quickly looked around. The door was opened by a man with harsh features, he had long greasy hair.  
  “Hey”, Baekhyun murmured. The man furrowed his brows.  
  “I need your help”, Baekhyun said quietly. The man said nothing.  
  “You still have the wooden box from the summer delivery?” Baekhyun asked.  
  “Are you mad?” the guy hissed. “Who the fuck is that?” he added eyeing Minseok.  
  “A – friend”, Baekhyun said. “Listen, I don’t need everything”, Baekhyun said and stepped closer. “Do you have it or not?” he asked sharply.  
  “Get inside”, the man grunted.

Minseok followed Baekhyun over the doorstep into the dimly lit house. It was sticky inside and the air was filled with cigarette smoke and an uncomfortably sweet smoky smell that clouded Minseok’s mind. He held his breath and squinted his eyes. They walked through a narrow hallway and then through a messy living room, where a young woman was lying half naked on a mattress on the floor. She was holding a cigarette and blew a cloud of bluish smoke into the air. Two other men sat across the room on a sofa, playing cards and drinking. They looked up when the three walked through the room. But they did not get up and turned back to their cards. The man guided them outside into the backyard where he opened the large garbage container. Baekhyun easily climbed inside and nodded towards Minseok.  
  “Come”, he hissed.  
Minseok frowned and followed him. Inside the container there were several large wooden boxes, Baekhyun pushed the lid down from one of them and revealed several weapons. Minseok stared at them. There were not only handguns but also rifles and machine guns.  
  “Take what you need”, Baekhyun said while confidently picking up a handgun himself. Minseok grabbed his weapons and the munition with a stoic expression, he seemed to know well which ones to choose and how to handle them. Baekhyun didn’t want to know why Minseok was so well informed about weapons. Baekhyun shortly talked to the man with the greasy hair.  
  “You’ll pay for them, won’t ya?” the man asked sharply. Baekhyun nodded.  
  “We can discuss that later”, he added then lowly and avoided looking at anyone.  
  “Oh we will, I will get back at you”, the man grunted.  
Minseok didn’t ask but something told him that the man did not expect money in exchange for the weapons. They did not talk as they left the house or while Baekhyun guided the way through side alleys. Minseok had managed to cover his weapons more or less, so it was not to be seen at first glance as they hurried through the city. Baekhyun knew which paths were less crowded so they soon had reached the hill on which Junmyeon’s house stood.  
  “Kenta, how’s it going? We’re almost there”, Minseok said. Kenta hummed into their ear pieces.  
  “Still working on it, it’s pretty tough. Jongdae and Yifan are already there, they entered the house about 10 minutes ago”, Kenta said. As they climbed the stairs along the street up the hill, Baekhyun shot Minseok a side glance.  
  “You’re not going to ask questions?” he asked. Minseok shrugged.  
  “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care”, Minseok said. Baekhyun didn’t answer. They reached the house.

 “You need the code to get inside the house. We’re surely not going to ring, right?” Baekhyun said. Minseok rucked with his head.  
  “This is exactly what we’re going to do”, he said and rang the doorbell. Baekhyun stared at him.  
  “What the hell?” he asked.  
  “If we break in it will cause an alarm”, Minseok said. The door was opened by a young man in a green uniform.  
  “Good evening, Dr Kim is not welcoming any guests today I am very sorry. Have you had an appointment?” he asked as he saw Minseok’s yellow eyes.  
  “Are you here for a treatment?” he asked.  
  “Yes”, Minseok said and knocked the man out before he could react.  
Baekhyun winced as the man fell backwards. Minseok quickly stepped through the door and dragged the man to the side.  
  “Kenta, we’re inside”, he whispered.  
  “Good, a little longer”, Kenta said back.

The house was quiet and Minseok narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Usually there were some of the house staff around but it seemed the man who had opened the door was the only one there. The silence that lay heavy on the house was eerie and made Baekhyun shiver. He held onto the gun tighter and although Minseok was not really one he trusted, he stood closer to the man. At least he made the impression of being able to defend himself very well.  
  “Jongdae and Yifan should be around somewhere”, he murmured.  
  “Let’s go”, Baekhyun murmured. “You said the controlling room would also be on the first floor but in the east wing?” he asked then.  
Minseok nodded. They neared the stairs and slowly climbed them, trying to make as few sounds as possible. Minseok had the handgun drawn and his yellow eyes kept scanning the surroundings. Baekhyun’s hands were clasped around his handgun, his hands were sweating.  
  “You’re breathing so loudly even a normal human can hear you from hundred metres distance”, Minseok hissed. Baekhyun grimaced.  
  “Well sorry, I’m nervous, okay? I have never shot at a person before and if Chanyeol is there he will find out… I’ve kept this a secret”, Baekhyun murmured. Minseok shortly glanced at him.  
  “Those who gave us the weapons?” he asked. “A gang?” Minseok suggested. Baekhyun was trying to control his breath and shook his head.  
  “Just the casual smugglers”, he whispered as they reached the top of the stairs.  
  “What do you have to do with smugglers?” Minseok asked.  
Baekhyun frowned concentrated. “I thought we had to be quiet?”  
Minseok almost grinned.

They walked down the corridor to their right. Minseok pointed at a door to their left and Baekhyun pulled out his phone. He was so full of adrenaline he could not even think of his guilt of cloning Chanyeol’s transponder during his brief visit. The door beeped and opened. Minseok pushed it open and pointed his gun but it was a small antechamber which was empty. Baekhyun walked through the room to the door and pushed it open. Behind it was indeed a larger room. Two of the walls were entirely covered in screens that showed the footage of all the security cameras in the house. The chair in front of the controlling panel however was empty. Chanyeol was not there. Baekhyun who had both dreaded to see Chanyeol and at the same time had hoped to see him here bit his lip.  
If Chanyeol was not here, where was he then? Was he possibly -? No, don’t think like that, Baekhyun thought immediately scolding himself.  
 “Kenta, we’re in the controlling room. But no one is here”, Minseok said. Kenta and Minseok talked while Minseok helped Kenta get access to the cameras of the house.  
 “Good”, Minseok said then.  
 “Where is Chanyeol?” Baekhyun whispered searching the screens.  
 “The office is there”, Minseok murmured as he found the screen showing the office. There was a long table and several chairs around it. Three people were sitting there.      
 “Junmyeon is not there and one of the Feng group is missing”, Minseok said, narrowing his eyes. His eyes flew across the other screens.  
  “Minseok, Baekhyun! Someone is coming!” Kenta shouted. Minseok winced at Kenta's loud voice.  
  “There, I’ve got Jongdae and Yifan”, Baekhyun called and pointed at one screen that showed the living room on the ground floor.  
  “Someone is with them”, he added in panic. But it was hard to see.  
  “About 10 people are coming!” Kenta called. “I think it’s their security. The security people from the Feng group”.  
  "Stop shouting, I've heard you just fine", Minseok growled while he kept looking for Junmyeon on the screens.  
Baekhyun touched the panel and zoomed into the screen of the living room. It was a middle aged man who was lying on the floor to his relief it was not Chanyeol. Jongdae had just leaned down to feel his pulse, it seemed like the middle aged man was dead. As Jongdae stepped to the side they could see a poodle of blood. Baekhyun zoomed into the picture of the office.  
  “The three are dead”, Minseok said as he watched the still and unmoving three figures. Baekhyun clapped his hand in front of his mouth.  
  “Is that -?” As he had zoomed in in the corner of the room near the door another person had become visible. Minseok grabbed Baekhyun.  
  “Quick, Jongdae and Yifan don’t know we’re getting visitors”, he said.  
  “I need to look for Chanyeol”, Baekhyun said stressed as Minseok rushed him out of the room.  
  “He was not on the screens”, Minseok hissed. “Maybe he’s not here”.  
Baekhyun shook his head. “He has to be! He should have been in this controlling room according to Yifan but he’s not”.

They hurried halfway down the stairs just as someone banged against the front door at an attempt to break it open. The doors to the living room opened and Yifan and Jongdae hurried out. “Jongdae!” Baekhyun called and Jongdae looked up.  
  “Have you seen Chanyeol?” he called. Jongdae stared at them.  
  “What are you -? Where did you get those guns?” he shouted.  
  “Doesn’t matter now, there are about 10 people outside. Come up here, quick”, Minseok called.

And Yifan and Jongdae ran up the stairs and jumped to the side behind the small wall underneath the handrails just in time as the door was broken open. Jongdae’s sides were burning and he was grateful Junmyeon had walls instead of balusters on the stairs.  
  “Have you seen Junmyeon?” Jongdae whispered.  
  “City police and home security! There has been a report about a murder taking place here. Show yourselves! Put your weapons down!” a man shouted down in the entrance hall. Minseok shook his head.  
  “The other three in the office are dead from what it looks like. Someone else was in the room but he was more out of the frame than in. We had no time to check it out”, Minseok said.  
  “Didn’t you go to the office earlier to- ?” Jongdae asked. He didn’t finish the question but they all knew what he meant.  
  “Didn’t get inside”, Yifan muttered. “The code to the door has been changed”. Jongdae and Minseok exchanged looks.  
  “Are there rooms the security cameras don’t catch?” Baekhyun whispered. Yifan frowned.  
  “The library”, he murmured.

The police swarmed into the entrance hall, some went straight into the living room to which the door was still open.  
  “I’ve got a body here. Oh, he’s just unconscious, someone from the house staff by the looks of it!” someone called.  
  “We got a body in here! It is Commander Goda”, another voice called agitated. “He has been stabbed”.  
Minseok looked at Jongdae who shook his head. “He was dying when we found him. I think it was Junmyeon”, he said. Yifan was shifting nervously.  
  “We need to move”, he whispered.  
  “Check the library, maybe Chanyeol is hiding there”, Jongdae whispered.  
  “I’ll go to the office and try again to look for Junmyeon”, Yifan whispered. Jongdae and Minseok nodded.  
  “We’re holding them off. Hurry”, Jongdae said. Yifan and Baekhyun sneaked away.  
  “Minseok, listen. Jongin and Kyungsoo are on their way. They just contacted me. They will be there in about 5 minutes”, Kenta said. Minseok quietly informed Jongdae.

 “No one is downstairs. Check upstairs. You 5, first floor, you 6, second floor”, someone ordered. Minseok looked at Jongdae.  
Minseok signalled Jongdae to follow him and crouched down they hushed down the corridor and hid inside a small room.  
  “Let the first party go to the second floor and take down those on the first floor”, Minseok whispered.  
Jongdae nodded. They listened and heard approaching steps and in the next second the door was flung open. Minseok let the man step into the dark room before knocking him out. Jongdae had to suppress the shivers running down his back when he saw Minseok’s face. Focused, cold, emotionless. We’re back again… everything we used to be. In the end one could not change who one was, Jongdae thought. Minseok was way too good at this, almost as if he knew exactly what to do. It seemed like a routine to him. They peered outside, another man came running at them. Minseok did not hesitate and shot. Having heard the shot, the three others emerged from other rooms. One from the controlling room, one had tried to break into the office where the other three bodies were, another one emerged from a different room. The shots echoed loudly through the house.  
  “What’s going on?” someone bellowed from the second floor.

The front door banged open and Kyungsoo and Jongin stormed inside. Jongdae saw them from the top of the stairs.  
  “There are six more upstairs!” he called. Kyungsoo and Jongin ran toward them, only Kyungsoo was armed.  
  “Baekhyun and maybe even Chanyeol are upstairs!” Jongdae said once Kyungsoo and Jongin had reached them. Another scream sounded from upstairs.  
  “We’re going”, Kyungsoo shouted. “There are more coming towards the house”, he called on his way upstairs.  
Kyungsoo gasped when a police officer appeared on the stairs to the second floor. The bullet hit his arm and he groaned but answered with a shot into the police officer’s chest. “Are you okay?” Jongin called anxiously.  
  “Yeah, it’s alright”, Kyungsoo gasped as they ran upstairs. “Special task force. We’re here on the governor’s orders! Put down your weapons”, Kyungsoo bellowed as soon as he reached the second floor.  
  “We cannot shoot everyone down”, Jongdae said breathless. “Let’s grab everyone and get out of here”, he said. Minseok nodded.  
  “Kenta? Kenta?” he called but the ear piece did no longer work. Minseok cursed and pulled it out of his ear.  
  “We need to see whether we can break into the office by ourselves. How did Yifan get inside?” he asked. Jongdae eyed the door.  
  “Maybe there is another secret entrance?” he asked and banged against the door. “Yifan! Yifan, it is us! Are you in there? You have to hurry, we need to get out of here!”

Minseok made a sudden strange noise and Jongdae whirled around.  
  “Shh, don’t move”.  
Jongdae’s chest was heaving quickly as he stared at the woman who pulled something out of Minseok’s neck. A strange syringe-like object. Minseok let out a small gasp at it. It was Sarah, the girl from the shelter. She had always been at Kyu’s side except for the day they had headed for the camps. The girl with the white tattoos. A shamag as they now knew.  
  “Where is he?” she hissed as she pulled out a knife and pressed it against Minseok’s throat.  
  “Who?” Jongdae asked tensely. His eyes were fixed on the knife on Minseok’s throat, it had already drawn blood.  
  “You called his name! My brother, of course”, Sarah hissed.  
  “Yifan? I should have known, he has the same white marks as you”, Minseok pressed out.  
  “He said he would be in there”, Jongdae said slowly. “But you cannot break into the office, it is secure”. Sarah huffed.  
  “Where is the other guy? The purist asshole that brought him here?” she asked.  
  “What?” Jongdae asked. Sarah glared at him.  
  “The scientist who came into our shelter with the army guy and a cat eyed boy”, she shouted.  
  “Junmyeon”, Minseok said.  
  “Yeah, that’s his name! He made some unlikely promises to my brother and brought him here. He made him kill for him. He made him leave us! He brought my brother into this situation”, Sarah growled.  
Minseok took advantaged of her rage and shook her off and shot at her. Sarah gasped and went down. Minseok was breathing hard and touched his neck.  
  “Minseok?” Jongdae asked.  
  “She injected something – into my neck”, Minseok said choked and stumbled against the wall.

Jongdae grabbed Minseok’s shoulders as Minseok slowly slid down the wall to the floor.  
  “Hang in there”, Jongdae said in panic.  
Minseok looked as if he was confused and angry, his body was cramping and it looked as if he was trying to touch something on his neck that was not there. Minseok was mumbling under his breath but Jongdae couldn’t fully understand what he was saying. He only kept hearing something like:  
  “Didn’t do anything wrong” and “Obeyed”.  
His heart clenched as a dark thought came to him. When Jongdae heard quick steps, he got up and stood in front of Minseok his gun drawn. But it was Kyungsoo and Jongin with them was Baekhyun.  
  “Where is Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked. Baekhyun shook his head.  
  “He was not in the library”, Baekhyun pressed out.  
  “I need Sean. Minseok was poisoned, he needs help quickly”, Jongdae said anxiously.  
  “Let’s grab Yifan and Junmyeon and then you get the hell out of here. I have arrested five on the second floor, I had to shoot one. You guys should not be caught here”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “Arrested?” Jongdae asked.  
But Kyungsoo didn’t answer, he looked at Sarah who was lying on the ground, struggling to breathe. He frowned as he saw the syringe in her hand but kneeled down by Minseok’s side.  
  “It won’t kill him. His pulse is stable, it will only make him dizzy and slow him down for a bit”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “How do you know?” Jongdae asked.  
  “The army used something similar to capture – Jongin”, he said. “What is Sarah doing here?” he muttered then.  
  “She said Yifan is her brother”, Jongdae said.  
  “What do we do with her?” Jongin asked instead.  
  “We have to leave her here”, Jongdae said plainly.  
  “What, and let her die?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae looked down at her.  
  “We don’t have the time and capacity to take her with us and look after her”, he said.  
  “How do we get into the office?” Baekhyun asked nervously, trying not to look at the wounded woman on the floor.  
  “Try the door next to it, there is a separate room that leads into the office as well”, Kyungsoo said.

He remembered being brought into a room connecting to the office where he had to take the drug to enhance his memory. His arm was bleeding and the provisory bandage was already bled through.  
  “Try the transponder!” Jongin said. Baekhyun put his phone to the door and it unlocked. Baekhyun and Jongin went ahead, followed by Kyungsoo. Jongdae turned to help Minseok up when he heard the shouts from outside.  
  “Damn, they’re here quicker than I thought”, he groaned and helped up Minseok. Minseok looked like he was already recovering from the poison, he was no longer cramping and the strange look in his eyes was gone.  
  “Shut the door, lock yourselves in”, Minseok called and pushed Jongdae towards the open door. Kyungsoo appeared in the door.  
  “No! I should go, I am the only one allowed to be here. You can’t shoot them all down! You must not shoo them down!” Kyungsoo called, trying to get past Baekhyun.  
  “Barr the door from the inside!” Jongdae called as he forcefully shut the door. Then he turned around and ran down the corridor to the stairs.  
  “No, stop!” Minseok shouted but his legs wouldn’t move fast enough.  
  “Lock the door!” Minseok bellowed and there was loud noise of shifting furniture in front of the door. Minseok did not stay to check. He tried to get to Jongdae who was shooting down from the top of the stairs, while occasionally dodging down behind the balcony or the wall. He looked up when he saw Minseok.  
  “What are you doing here?” he called.  
Jongdae was right, Minseok should not have joined him. His instinct told him to hide until he had fully recovered. His senses were slow and blurred. But Minseok lifted his gun to help out Jongdae but when they peered around the corner again, ready to shoot no one was there. There were 6 people lying on the floor in the entrance hall.

 “Let’s go and find Chanyeol and Junmyeon and get out”, Jongdae said. Jongdae walked down the stairs to check whether someone was still there or whether all of the six people were dead. Minseok leaned against the wall and nodded. The gun slipped through his fingers and fell clattering to the floor.  
 “Minseok!” Jongdae called and turned around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter packed with action! As the chapter before, it is quite packed so it is a little shorter!  
> Since I've now revealed one of Baekhyun's little secrets, I want to reassure you, he is that type of curious idiot who would shoot a gun just to have done it. What he meant by not having shot at humans is that he shot at a few empty cans once.....


	19. Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!! A longer chapter once again~

  “And now?” Baekhyun asked tensely.  
They were standing in a smaller office that was dark. Kyungsoo felt for a light switch but found none.  
  “The door to the office has to be somewhere over here”, Jongin said and walked along the wall.  
  “The office has to be way bigger than it looks like on the security camera”, Baekhyun murmured.  
  “What do you mean?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to remember what the office had looked like when he had been there for his meeting.  
  “Well, on the security camera it looked like there was just the big table and the chairs around it, then about 4 steps to the door. But this room here is so small, there has to be more space in the office next doors that is not shown on the security camera”, Baekhyun said.  
  “A blind spot?” Jongin hissed. “Here is something”, he said.  
He pressed against the wall and there was a low crunching sound when the wall shifted to the side. Light fell from the office into the small room where they were standing. It was not the room Kyungsoo had waited in while receiving his memory enhancement drug, or maybe it had been remodelled and so had the office. It looked nothing like in Kyungsoo’s memory.

A long table came into sight, chairs were standing around it in orderly fashion. Three men sat at the table, calmly but unmoving and still. There was however the sound of a person breathing very quickly, clearly trying to not panic. Baekhyun had been right, the office expanded further. Behind the table, something was moving. They stepped into the office and Baekhyun felt his throat close up.  
  “Chanyeol”. He could not stop himself and hurried around the table. The others followed slowly.  
  “Baekhyun?” Chanyeol looked up. He looked terrified.  
  “What are you doing here?” he whispered.  
Kyungsoo stopped next to Baekhyun. Chanyeol was sitting on the floor, his hands were drenched in blood. They were still pressing onto Junmyeon’s chest trying to stop the bleeding. Kyungsoo’s breath was somehow caught in his throat and suffocated him. He kneeled down mechanically.  
  “Junmyeon”, he said. His own voice sounded strange and unfamiliar.  
The gun fell to the ground without him noticing it. He reached out his hand to feel Junmyeon’s neck for a pulse.  
  “Who did that?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol could not speak, he was shaking. Tears were glistening on his face.  
  “Was it Sarah? The girl from the shelter?” Jongin asked. Chanyeol’s eyes were fixed on Junmyeon. Kyungsoo pulled his hand back.  
  “Has he got a pulse?” Jongin asked but he could read from Kyungsoo’s reaction the answer.  
He kneeled down next to Kyungsoo and Baekhyun thought that he saw real grief in those yellow eyes which he had believed to be unreadable and creepy.  
Kyungsoo reached out his hands and wiped the blood from Junmyeon’s face. His shoulders were shaking violently but there were no tears on his face. Kyungsoo covered his eyes, his other hand clenched into a fist. Then he punched the wall behind Junmyeon. Kyungsoo’s scream was unbearable, it was worse than looking at Junmyeon. Baekhyun closed his eyes and wished he could cover his ears. Jongin put his hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.  
  “We have to leave”, Jongin said. “There are more coming. Minseok and Jongdae are alone”, he added.

He pulled Kyungsoo to his feet and Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol up, although he could hardly stand by himself. They stumbled back through the smaller office out into the corridor. They had just stepped out into the corridor when they heard Minseok screaming. Kyungsoo almost didn’t recognise Minseok’s voice because he had never sounded like that. His voice was full of fear.  
  “Help me! Help me! Help me!” Minseok screamed and when they all stormed to the stairs their weapons ready they saw why.

Minseok and Jongdae had taken care of the bribed police officers and security guards who had come as a back-up. Jongdae however had been shot into the chest and was lying on the ground. Minseok was crouched over him. Baekhyun screamed into his ear piece for Kenta and that they needed someone or anyone who could fix Jongdae quickly. Jongdae was still breathing but he looked bad. He was struggling and gasping for air, it sounded like he was in great pain.  
  “Baekhyun? Minseok?” Kenta’s voice finally popped up in the ear piece again. The connection was bad but he was there.  
  “I heard you. I contacted Sean and he says he already is in Junmyeon’s house! What is going on?” Kenta called.  
  “He is here?” Minseok called. “Where is he? Find him, quick! Quick!” Minseok shouted.  
_It was all wrong. It was his fault, he had made a grave mistake. More than one. It was all Minseok’s fault, he had been unfocused._  
They all jumped to their feet but before they could take off, Sean was already there. He hurried down the stairs, accompanied by Yifan and a young woman as they hurried down the stairs.  
  “On the first floor is a treatment room. Help me carry him upstairs”, Sean ordered.  
There was no time to ask Yifan where he had gone to and why he had not been in the office as he had told them. And where he had found Sean. Minseok and Yifan picked up Jongdae and carried him upstairs. Chanyeol made a few steps backwards and tensed up.  
  “What’s wrong?” Baekhyun whispered. Chanyeol was staring at Yifan’s back as he walked away.  
  “What is it?” Baekhyun asked. Kyungsoo however did not notice, he and Jongin were staring at the woman. She looked very different but it had to be her. But it was impossible, Kyungsoo had been so sure that she was dead.  
  “Kyu?” he asked. Her lips twitched.  
  “I no longer use that name”, she said.  
  “Where – where have you been? Sean and Yifan knew about this?” Kyungsoo asked.  
He sat down on the floor, it was just too much to take in. Kyu brushed back her hair, it was longer now. Before it had been cut radically short. She was terribly thin and her skin which had been tanned was pale and had a greyish undertone as if she had not seen sunlight in a long time.  
  “Sit down, I’ll explain”, she said.  
  “No, what if more police officers will come?” Baekhyun called. She shook her head.  
  “I doubt that there will be any more who will come. Those were private security people from the Feng group and some police officers they had bribed. The papers will have arrived at the governor’s office by now and stop anyone from interfering any more”, Kyu said and sat down on the stairs. Kyungsoo pressed his fingers onto his exhausted eyes.  
  “Start from the top, please”, he said.  
  “Yeah, but first, where is Junmyeon?” she asked. No one answered and she nodded slowly.  
  “I see”, she murmured and Chanyeol pressed his shaking hands onto his mouth. Baekhyun stroked his back, looking nervously at Kyungsoo and Kyu.  
  “It was a spontaneous idea, I wouldn’t call it a plan”, she said and looked up the stairs.

 “I asked Junmyeon to examine me at the camp, I had told him before that I was ill. Once he had conducted the tests, it was pretty clear that I would not live much longer. We had to come up with something very quickly. If I would die before we could break into the city, someone else would have to take the lead and make sure no one started a killing mission on their own. We could only consider purists to get into the city and smuggle the rest in. We could not take you, Kyungsoo. You left the army as a traitor which was immediately known to the city. Junmyeon had an ambivalent status which could easily be twisted due to his grandfather’s influence. If we presented him as a traitor who abandoned us, they would fully trust him. The next step was for you, Kyungsoo, to leave the rest behind as well as the one who could stay in touch with us. To make it seem believable we had to keep it a secret from you, Kyungsoo. You had to distrust Junmyeon and distance yourself from him. You smuggled us into the city so I could kill Junmyeon’s grandfather”, she explained.  
 

 “Then Junmyeon really is a great actor. He did not mind letting you kill his grandfather?” Kyungsoo asked. Her expression was as calm as ever but for a second a strange expression hushed like a shadow over her face.  
  “No, he did not want me to. But he knew it had to be done, he kept trying to convince me to feign his death. But of course, I couldn’t do that. You barged in on us in the right moment, Kyungsoo. You believed I was dying but as soon as you were brought to prison with Minseok and Jongdae, Junmyeon hid me and called Sean to take care of me. The recovery process was difficult and hard. I was in a coma for months, had it not been for Sean I would have died. I should not be up but when I woke up last week and Junmyeon filled me in on everything I wanted to help”, she said.  
  “You wanted to help?” Kyungsoo asked pointedly. She sighed.  
  “Yeah, it was Yifan’s job to stop me from doing anything”, she said.  
  “Wait, Yifan was never Junmyeon’s bodyguard. He was your bodyguard!” Kyungsoo called. She grimaced.  
  “Unfortunately, yes. Obviously, he started to take his pretended role as Junmyeon’s bodyguard seriously and suddenly started to care too much for him”, she said. “Yifan should bring you the evidence that Junmyeon had collected. He was supposed to return immediately after the evidence was in Judge Han’s possession and check whether Junmyeon had been successful in killing the Feng group members. Should something have gone wrong, Yifan would have finished the job”, Kyu continued.

Suddenly Kyungsoo understood and he felt sick.  
  “He – he had to come back not only to help Junmyeon but also to kill him? To kill the last expert scientist so the project and experiment would be over for good?” he asked.  
She eyed him. “Yeah”. Jongin shifted.  
  “But something went wrong?” Jongin asked. Chanyeol was whimpering quietly.  
  “Because he was there”, Kyungsoo said and turned to look at Chanyeol.  
  “What happened?” Baekhyun asked quietly while stroking Chanyeol’s back.  
  “I left the controlling room – I knew I wasn’t allowed to. But one of the men got up and attacked Mr Kim. And – and Mr Kim followed him downstairs. They were fighting and Mr Kim s-stabbed him over and over again”, Chanyeol burst out.  
  “And then?” Kyungsoo asked. “What happened then?” he pressed on.  
  “Don’t push him”, Baekhyun growled. He stroked Chanyeol’s arm.  
  “Take your time”, he said, trying to sound calm and gentle but he was shaking, too.  
 

 “Mr Kim came upstairs again, he was wounded. He was bleeding badly. He wanted me to bring him back into the office. He said – I wasn’t allowed to call the ambulance nor police. And then we got into the office and everyone in there was dead. He lied down there and said I had to go back to the controlling room and manipulate the camera footage. He would wait for someone, so I went back to the controlling room and destroyed the camera footage. And waited and waited. It took so long, so long”, Chanyeol cried. Baekhyun grabbed his shoulders and held him until Chanyeol’s tears stopped.  
  “Did that someone come?” Kyungsoo asked. Chanyeol nodded.  
  “He felt his pulse and spoke to him”, he said.  
  “Who was it? Was it Yifan? What did he say?” Kyungsoo asked on edge. Chanyeol looked up, his eyes were red and swollen but the exhaustion and shock had seemed to have drained him of every emotion.  
  “H-He only said something like ‘I’m here’ and Mr Kim – Mr Kim asked him for forgiveness and then begged him to end it. They were not in the shot of the camera then so I only heard them speak... After – after he had left I – I went back into the office to help – to see whether…”, he said.

Kyungsoo clenched his hands to fists. Chanyeol did not continue. It was quiet in the house and the silence hung heavy in the air after all the shouts and bangs. It was dark outside and the entrance hall had cooled down.  
  “What was that all for?” Baekhyun asked into the silence. When Kyungsoo lifted his hurting and exhausted head, he saw that Baekhyun was crying.  
  “What the hell was this all for?”

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to say. It was hard to explain.  
  “They were bad people”, Kyu said and then she started laughing. She buried her head in her hands as she laughed. Baekhyun stared at her in disbelief.  
  “Aren’t we all bad people after all?” she said laughing. “Who the hell decides who is good and who is bad anyways?” she added then and leaned back.  
It felt strange like ice spreading inside Kyungsoo’s chest. She got up and after she had climbed a few steps, Kyungsoo got up to follow her. Jongin immediately got up as well. He had been very silent but even though the yellow eyes were hard to read, Baekhyun could tell that Junmyeon’s death had shaken him.  
  “It’s over”, Kyu said.  
She walked ahead into the office through the side room to which they had left the door open and sat down next to Junmyeon. When Kyungsoo saw that she sat down next to Junmyeon, he retreated with Jongin. She closed her eyes and was still smiling. “It is finally over”, she whispered.  
  “What now?” Jongin asked as they left the office.  
  “Everyone needs to go before the police turns up, the real one… Only I am allowed to be here, technically and I have to inform the police... I will contact Judge Han first, I think”, Kyungsoo said. “And I need to think of a good explanation of the mess here”.  
To Kyungsoo’s relief not all of the security officers were dead. It was not easy to explain to the police what had happened but thanks to Junmyeon’s evidence and the governor’s support, no one of them was charged or arrested and put into prison for now. Kyungsoo had been allowed to carry a weapon so it was easy for him to explain why he had entered the house. He protected the others by claiming they were part of his team.

But it was hard to explain why so many people had gotten involved and with the destroyed camera footage they didn’t have much proof of what had happened either. Of course it was also to their advantage that there was hardly any camera footage of what had happened that way they didn't have to explain Kyu or Sarah's involvement. But the real problem came up, when they went back upstairs and Kyu, Sarah and Yifan were gone. Kyungsoo was called upstairs by the police while the rest of them was send outside.

Kyungsoo entered the office and stared at the spot where Junmyeon had lain, there was a pool of blood, the smashed wall behind him where he had punched it.  
Somehow seeing only the blood was even worse than seeing Junmyeon lying there. When he looked at the police officer sending next to the pool of blood he realised that something was off.  
  “What? What is it?” Kyungsoo asked. “Was something wrong with -?” The police officer frowned.  
  “You told us that Dr Kim Junmyeon was lying dead in here but when we arrived, no one was here. Just this pool of blood”, the police officer said. Kyungsoo felt cold inside. Had Kyu and the others taken Junmyeon with them? Why? What for?  
Could it be that Junmyeon had still been alive? No, no way, he had felt his pulse and there had been none. Either way, he had received no help for too long after being injured. And Yifan had according to Chanyeol given him the final blow. Nothing made sense.  
Had Kyu taken Sarah with her as well? Why had Sarah been there in the first place? Had she tried to find Kyu?

Since the entire villa was a crime scene, they all had to leave. Kyungsoo was called to see the governor personally. He was invited into the governor’s villa so he could thank Kyungsoo for taking over and once again helping. He officially spoke to him about the special force unit that Judge Han had mentioned.  
  “I would like you to put together a team that investigates corrupt police officers, politicians and the like. You will be provided the best technology for that. Anything you need. Dr Kim senior was not just my advisor, he was also my best friend. Junmyeon’s death has shaken me personally… I don’t want his death to be in vain”, the governor said.  
A few days ago Kyungsoo probably wouldn’t have wanted anything more than that but now it seemed rather unimportant. But nonetheless he agreed to do the job.

 

His first task was to find Yifan. There was no evidence that proved that he had killed Junmyeon, the video material of the security cameras had been destroyed partly and had erased parts of the events. With Kenta’s help they had been able to recover some of the material in secret and it had been very explanatory to Kyungsoo and the rest of their group. But the recovery of parts of the material was kept a secret from the police and the governor.  
Junmyeon had indeed poisoned the drinks of the four men but Goda only pretended to drink. Once the three other men had died, he got up and attacked Junmyeon. They struggled and fought, Junmyeon had been prepared for trouble and had his knife ready. He stabbed Goda twice but Goda managed to escape, Junmyeon followed him downstairs and finally got him in the living room where Goda shot at Junmyeon. Junmyeon got up and gave Goda the final blow before returning clearly wounded and weakened to the office. Chanyeol appeared and caught Junmyeon halfway, helping him back into the office. Junmyeon convinced Chanyeol to return to the controlling room as he waited for Yifan but Yifan’s arrival was not on the footage. Kenta couldn’t restore that part, so they didn’t know whether Yifan had really killed Junmyeon or not. Chanyeol hadn’t seen it either because Junmyeon had sat himself on a spot which the surveillance camera did not fully cover. He had only seen Yifan walk into the office and heard their short conversation. After that one could only see Chanyeol’s terrified face and his hands before his mouth, when he returned to the office and tried to save Junmyeon. Jongdae was all the while roaming the house, looking for someone. He met with Yifan on the first floor, they just went into the living room when Minseok and Baekhyun arrived. The footage showed how Sarah climbed into the villa through a smashed window downstairs but after she was knocked out, again a few minutes of footage were missing. Somehow she had disappeared without leaving a trace. Kyu was nowhere on the footage. Every bit of her had been erased but when the police had searched the villa they had found a secret room in the library.  
Kyungsoo had thought of looking for Kyu but knew that he would not be able to find her. She might be weakened and ill but if she wanted to stay hidden, she would stay hidden. However he wondered whether she could survive without Sean’s help, it had not sounded as if she had been entirely recovered. Junmyeon had diagnosed that she would die.

 

*

Sarah jumped over the fence and cursed, the shot wound hurt badly, it had been treated poorly and quickly. Sean had to treat Jongdae, so he could only get the bullet out of her shoulder and stitch her together quickly. When she looked up she was facing yellow eyes that looked grimly at her. Three yellow-eyed people.  
  “What happened?” the rough looking guy asked. A smaller guy with yellow eyes answered for Sarah making a guess.  
  “We came too late, huh”, he muttered and looked past Sarah. “Is that him? Your brother?”  
A tall male appeared behind her, he was carrying a large bundle. He was followed by another yellow-eyed person, a female. The rough looking guy laughed coldly.  
 “Well, look who we’ve got here. If that isn’t our number 9”, he said. Kyu glared at him.  
  “Whatever, you got what you wanted. Now let’s get a move on, the ship leaves in 15 minutes. We can’t be late”, she said. The guy shook his head.  
  “Uh-uh, not so fast. I want to see it first”, he demanded.

Kyu nodded at Yifan who put the bundle he was carrying down with a sigh indicating how heavy it was. He opened the bundle and the rough looking guy leaned over it, he stuck his hand into the bundle. His yellow eyes narrowed but then he huffed.  
  “Good”, he said and then straightened up. Kyu moved ahead but stopped when she saw that the other yellow-eyed people didn’t follow her.  
  “What now?” she asked roughly. “Are you going to stay here in the city?” she asked.  
The rough looking guy licked his lips and then they spread into an ugly smile. “It would be a lot of fun, wouldn’t it?” he said.  
Kyu just looked at him with calm and cold eyes. Then without a warning she pulled out a gun and shot three times right into his chest.  
  “Yes, it would be”, she said. The other two flinched in surprise and then growled at her. She grimaced.  
  “What? You’re not really upset by that, are you? You don’t plan on staying here, do you?” she said and then cocked her head.

They moved ahead, Sarah and Yifan following, then Kyu went last. They reached the harbour just in time to sneak onto the ship that would leave the city.  
  “Yifan?” Sarah asked when they had just sneaked under deck and her brother was suddenly no longer at her side.  
Only the large bundle was lying on the floor next to them. She ignored Kyu’s hissed warnings and crawled back up and just as the ship was leaving the harbour, she saw how a tall man jumped into the water. His head broke through the surface of the dirty grey water and he swam back to the harbour and pulled himself back to land. Sarah stared at him and Yifan looked back at her for a moment then he walked away, dripping wet.  
  “No, what is he doing? That idiot… he won’t be able to stay. What is he doing? They’ll put him back into prison or send him back to exile. I won’t have him fall back into the hands of our father”, she whispered and ran to the railing.  
  “And what exactly are you going to do?” Kyu asked. Sarah flinched when Kyu suddenly stood next to her.  
  “Leave him be”, Kyu said then. The white of her eyes was red and she had dark shadows under her eyes.  
  “You look sick”, Sarah said as she noticed it. A new wave of anxiety overcame her.  
Kyu was trying to hide her heavy breathing but the whole action had put a great strain on her.  
  “Let’s get back into hiding until we arrive”, she said.  
  “What’s with the other two guys? Did you leave them alone?” Sarah asked as she remembered the others. Kyu’s calm expression didn’t change.  
  “No”, she said.

Sarah felt her jaw clench as she realised what Kyu had done with the other two. They went back down under deck and Kyu opened the bundle. Sarah sat down next to her with a hard expression on her face. If it was up to her, she would have dumped the bundle into the ocean with the two other Aureum Luscus who Kyu had just killed right after getting onto the ship. But Kyu had other plans and even though Kyu had not yet entrusted her with every detail, she would follow her, no matter what. Even if it involved the man she hated most in the world. She could not understand what it was that connected Kyu and Dr Kim Junmyeon. Neither of the two had romantic feelings for each other so what was it? Why would Kyu want to take his body with them?  
His clothes were dark and filthy from the blood and his pale skin stood in stark contrast to it. Sarah watched Kyu as she put her hand onto Junmyeon’s face but to her surprise there was something very cruel in her eyes as she clapped his cheek.

 “This is far from over for us, is it? Enough with the sleeping” she said.

 

*

This time Kyungsoo did not hesitate and went looking for Baekhyun and Chanyeol right away. Jongin and Kenta had for the time being returned to Jongdae’s house. But with his new authority and legitimate status Kyungsoo could ask questions and expect answers, so it was easy to find Chanyeol and Baekhyun. It seemed that Chanyeol was in psychological care and it would have been a surprise had he not been. Kyungsoo felt sorry for everything they had been put through and wondered whether they could ever return to their normal lives. He feared that Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s relationship and friendship could have been destroyed for good. He had not asked Baekhyun were he had gotten himself and Minseok guns. Kyungsoo knew that Baekhyun was a troublemaker and had often put a toe over the lines of law but he had not wanted to see or know how deep Baekhyun had been into it.  
But when Kyungsoo visited Chanyeol who said no word and did not react at all to his visitor, he had to ask Baekhyun who sat in Chanyeol's room all day nonetheless, some questions.  
Baekhyun was pale and looked exhausted.  
  “Anything new from Jongdae?” he asked when they stepped out of Chanyeol’s room. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
  “I want you to come over to Jongdae’s place however. I think there are a few things we should all talk about”, Kyungsoo said. Baekhyun looked away.  
  “Can’t that wait?” he murmured.  
  “No”, Kyungsoo said firmly. “Baekhyun, I know that you don’t want to answer some of my questions but I cannot help you if I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in. This will be an unofficial conversation”, Kyungsoo said quietly.

Baekhyun was hesitant but eventually he accompanied Kyungsoo back home.  
Minseok was still at the hospital with Jongdae, Chanyeol was hospitalised, too, so it was just Baekhyun, Jongin and Kenta who sat around the kitchen table. Kenta brewed them some tea and for a while they sat in silence.

 “I need to ask you some questions. First of all, it is currently my number one priority to find Yifan. The governor blames him for most of the events”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “He blames Yifan?” Baekhyun asked surprised.  
  “Well, he needs a scapegoat. Yifan is easy to blame, he has a criminal record”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “I need to know what he said to you after Jongin and I had left”, Kyungsoo said.  
Kenta summarised what Yifan had told them about Junmyeon’s plan and how Baekhyun had recognised Yifan. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes.  
  “How do you come to know Yifan?” he asked. Baekhyun shook his head.  
  “I don’t know him. I just recognised him, that’s all”, Baekhyun said tensely. Kyungsoo leaned forward.  
  “Baekhyun, I cannot protect you if you don’t tell me the truth. You knew he had a criminal record and that’s how you came to know him… why?” Kyungsoo asked.  
Baekhyun clenched his hands and shifted uncomfortably.  
  “It was on the news, okay? He was helping a murderer escape and got involved in a shooting. He managed to escape however and apparently joined the exiled desert group. I saw his white tattoos, their leader tattoos them to show that they belong to him”, Baekhyun said.  
  “He was helping a murderer escape?” Kenta asked. Baekhyun nodded.  
  “His wife. She was taking care of elderly people and apparently killed an old man, she was mentally unstable so I think she didn’t even know what she had done. Yifan wanted to smuggle her and their daughter out of the city. They got caught however”, Baekhyun said. Jongin put his mug down.  
  “You know quite a lot”, he said. There was a faint blush on Baekhyun’s cheek.  
  “I doubt they will have put all of that on the news”, Kyungsoo said. He raised one eyebrow and Baekhyun’s hands tensed.  
  “I might know someone who – uhm – was on that underground train that smuggles people out of the city but –“, Baekhyun said.  
  “You know a human trafficker?” Kyungsoo called. Baekhyun opened his mouth.  
  “Uh, huh. Well, human trafficker… he is more of a smuggler who happens to also help people in trouble”, Baekhyun said nervously.  
  “Is that where you got the weapons from?” Kyungsoo asked coolly. Baekhyun shrunk into himself.  
  “Maybe”, he murmured.  
  “Possession of weapons is strictly prohibited in this city, Baekhyun. You know they will put you in prison for that!” Kyungsoo called. Baekhyun shoved his bottom lip forward.  
  “I don’t own a weapon. I borrowed it”, he said firmly. Kyungsoo shook his head.  
  “You were on that train, weren’t you?” Jongin said.  
Baekhyun flinched. Kyungsoo looked at Jongin who was eyeing Baekhyun. Baekhyun shifted nervously.  
  “Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asked. “I won’t arrest you, you know that. Relax”, he added then.  
  “You’re giving me the impression that you will do so”, Baekhyun said defensively.  
Kyungsoo shook his head. Baekhyun took a deep breath.  
  “Okay, I was on that train. It is not as risky and difficult as tricking the entire system at the gate. That was really just great luck that it worked for me once and I didn’t want to get my cousin into trouble so I had to choose a different way out”, Baekhyun said.  
  “Wait, you cannot leave the city as you please?” Jongin asked. Baekhyun shook his head.  
  “You need an official permission, you have to fill out all sorts of documents. You have to state where you are going, when you are going and when you will return. You also need to go through check-ups before and after you come back to make sure you won’t get ill and bring any diseases into the city. It is quite a hassle”, Baekhyun said.  
 

 “Don’t ask me for names, please, Kyungsoo. I cannot tell you. I was on that train with a couple of other people. Yifan was there with his wife and kid. She was in quite the state, I tell you. We had gotten out of the city just fine but before we reached the station outside, the train was stopped on its way up. I hid in the underground tunnel and then climbed out when they were gone”, Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo frowned.  
  “When they were gone? What do you mean? What happened to the people on the train? To Yifan’s wife and his kid?” Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun shook his head.  
  “The police had turned up and they were all arrested obviously and brought to prison. His wife – didn’t make it however”, he added then quietly.  
Kyungsoo nodded slowly. “And the kid?”  
Baekhyun tilted his head. “I think a family here in the city adopted her”, Baekhyun said.  
Kyungsoo got up abruptly. Jongin flinched.  
  “What is it?” Kenta asked.  
  “He’s there. He went to see his daughter”, Kyungsoo said.  
  “What are you going to do?” Baekhyun called and got to his feet as well. “Are you going to arrest him just to please the governor?” Baekhyun asked.  
Kyungsoo had his back turned to Baekhyun.  
 “You might have the freedom to put your toe over the lines of law, I don’t. I have broken the law too many times, I have to obey now”, Kyungsoo said. “Jongin, stay here please”, Kyungsoo added and then left without looking at them.  
Baekhyun scowled but he knew that Kyungsoo was right. Kyungsoo had struggled to find his place and purpose, now that he had found his place he had to do everything to keep it. And he had to be thankful that Kyungsoo did not arrest him for everything he had done so far.

In the end, it was his fault. Baekhyun was to blame, he had told Kyungsoo about Yifan’s past. He had copied Chanyeol’s transponder and stepped on Chanyeol’s trust. He never knew when to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm so sorry for the delated update!! I was not at home over the weekend and was busy with university the last days as well... I was not quite happy with the chapter so I was hesitant to post it.  
> I hope you don't hate me now OTL  
> We've only got a couple of chapters left, so don't worry... I know a few things are yet unclear and need to be cleared up!  
> Thank you for reading up till now and leaving kudos and comments. I really appreciate that!!


	20. Nineteen

It was cold, so freezing cold that it seeped through his clothes and bit into his skin. Then a searing hot pain, paralysing him. The short moment of feeling as if he was going to suffocate, then it was over.  
Minseok’s head snapped up and he sat up. He had fallen asleep on the chair next to Jongdae’s bed. Sweat was rolling down his temples. It was the first time he had had a nightmare of his past. He had expected those nightmares to come while he had been doing the therapy but then he hadn’t had any nightmares at all. He cleared his throat and tilted his head to rid himself of the uncomfortable lingering feeling on his neck. Was it because the infiltration of Junmyeon’s house had felt so much like back then when he had been doing all those missions? Was this the reason of his memories returning to him in such an unpleasant way? It had not been necessary to put much effort into concentrating on the task, he had been focused. Getting into the house, shooting, knocking out, killing, none of it had been a problem. He had followed script perfectly. Why had Sarah been able to inject that poison into him? When had he been so unfocused to not notice her? Why?

His eyes fell on the man still unconscious lying in front of him. Jongdae was still connected to many machines but he was improving. He shouldn’t have followed Jongdae because of that they both had been unfocused for that decisive moment.  
Jongdae had turned around when Minseok had dropped the gun and one of the wounded men on the ground had taken advantage of it and had shot at Jongdae. Why had he ignored everything his instinct had told him? Why had he decided to join Jongdae? Everything could have gone well, had it not been for Jongdae. No matter how many times Minseok ran the scenario through his head of how it could have gone or should have gone, it all led back to Jongdae each time. Jongdae knocking loudly against the office door and shouting. He had been distracted by his voice. No, just simply by Jongdae. Jongdae running off alone to fight down the arriving police or security guards to buy the others time. He had followed Jongdae instead of accepting his sacrifice. He had followed him despite being weakened. He had thought about it.  
What if he had let him go? What if he hadn’t followed Jongdae and had done as he had learnt to be, had done as he had always done? Ignoring others, focusing on his own survival. Fulfilling the mission. He should go now to make sure it never happened again. This was his chance, he had to leave right away. He should have left right after Sean started treating Jongdae, he should have left the house, the city. He should have left everyone behind immediately, but he hadn’t.  
It was his last chance now, before Jongdae woke up he had to leave. Minseok got up, he wasn’t yet sure where to go but he had to be quick and quiet. No one could know. He looked at Jongdae’s sleeping face for a few seconds and then turned around.

 “Minseok?” He turned his head in surprise. Jongdae was awake.  
  “What – what happened?” he said gravely. He sounded exhausted.  
  “You – you were shot”, Minseok said roughly. “You were shot”, he repeated then almost as if it surprised him how heavy those words weighted.  
Jongdae looked at him, his face was halfway covered by a breathing mask.  
  “You saved me”, Jongdae said then.  
  “No, Sean did”, Minseok corrected him. He flinched when he felt Jongdae’s cool fingers weakly trying to touch his hand.  
  “No, you did”, Jongdae repeated. Minseok frowned.  
  “What are you -?” he started.  
  “You followed me”, Jongdae whispered. His breath was going heavier and his eyes were closing and opened up quickly. He was fighting to stay awake.  
  “Why – did you?” Jongdae murmured. Minseok just stared at him.  
  “Why – did you follow me?” Jongdae muttered and his eyes closed.  
His breath was calming down and he fell asleep. Minseok opened his mouth, trying to formulate an answer, still staring at Jongdae. Then finally he tore his eyes away from Jongdae’s sleeping face and looked at Jongdae’s fingers resting on his hand. Jongdae had been asking the same question. Yes, why had he followed him?

 “Why”, Minseok repeated quietly. And the answer that had slowly come to take form in his mind as soon as Jongdae had opened his eyes and called his name, was now suddenly so clear. And he knew why he hadn’t left while he had had the chance and why he would not leave now.

 

 

**2089**   
  
_February_

 

Yifan looked into the cracked window of a dusty shop to see his reflection, he had shaved for the first time in over a month. With the fresh clothes, it had improved his shabby appearance.  
The streets outside were empty. This was the part of the city no one was supposed to know about. Where the people lived who could not buy themselves into this glorious safe city, they had worked their way in. Here lived the people who were really poor but were tolerated because they did the dirty work no one else wanted to do.  
Cleaning duties, going underground, doing the dangerous tasks.  
Back when he had still lived in the city, this part of the city had not been this dirty and run down. It had only worsened over the years. His wife’s parents had lived here, their little house was still there. Empty, dusty and dirty. But it had been a good hideout for the past one and a half months because they had died years ago and the house had never been registered under their name. It was hard to find a connection between him and the house he was hiding in. He knew that they were looking for him. The police, the government. Probably also Kyungsoo and Jongdae, should he have made it. He closed his tired eyes. Running and hiding was tiring. He had fulfilled all his duties, there was only one last thing left to do.  
His hand slid into his pocket and he pulled out a small device that was not even the size of his hand. He put his hand on top of the screen and it came alive, scanned his handprint and unlocked. Yifan looked at the screen but his sight turned blurry. He let the tears come and drop down as he looked at the pictures. A girl on her first day in kindergarten, a birthday party, her first day at school. She looked so much like her mother. Yifan pressed his free hand to his mouth to muffle his sobs. He remembered how Junmyeon had shoved the device into his hand, how heavy Junmyeon’s breaths had been, his trembling hand on his as he begged him to end it.

Yifan looked through the window, through the distorted reflection of his face. The sun was just rising, it was a clear day. He tapped the screen and it closed, then he turned around and put the device under the tattered mattress he had slept on. No one would look for it but he did not want to risk it being traced back to Junmyeon. His fists clenched when he thought of the weight on his back as he had carried him out of the house. He didn’t ask Kyu where she would take him and it was none of his business. He had done his part of the plan, even though it had not exactly been Junmyeon’s plan. The guilt was heavy as he thought of Junmyeon and that he had until the end convinced him that Yifan was following Junmyeon’s plan to end it - to end it all.  
Would he be angry? It didn’t matter much. As soon as he stepped out of this house, he would continue to stick to the original plan. Once everything was settled he would not deny having killed Junmyeon and make a confession. He had to because only then their whole plan would work, only then everything had been worth it. Only then, no one would look for Junmyeon anymore. The police would not find any evidence that Kyu, his sister or he had been there. Kyungsoo probably would not tell them either.

 

It was warmer today, spring was a short season in the city. The trees in the park stood in full bloom and the ground was covered in petals that the rain of yesterday had dragged down. Kyungsoo knew that there was a playground for children near the University Park. With his new position, Kyungsoo also had more resources so he could easily find out the school Yifan’s daughter went to. It was close to the University Park and Kyungsoo felt that surely parents would take their child to the park where they could see the flowers and trees blooming when the weather was nice. Indeed the park was very crowded with students and families.

For the past month Kyungsoo had kept an eye on places where Yifan might show up to see his daughter but Yifan knew how to stay hidden. Kyungsoo could not find him anywhere and he was still rather reluctant to ask Baekhyun for any possible informants. But should he not find him soon, he knew he had to ask Baekhyun. It had been over a month since Yifan had disappeared, since Junmyeon…  
Kyungsoo shook his head, he pushed the thoughts away. He knew that it was not helpful to push those thoughts away. While he had been fighting, running and hiding from the government, the police, the camp guards and whatnot it had been easier. He had to focus on surviving, nothing else had mattered. But now, he was living in a safe city and had a job. It was hard to sleep, to eat or to get up and go out. But Kyungsoo was glad he had a job, a purpose and something to do.  
It was an excuse to escape the house where Kenta and Jongin where. Somehow he could no longer look at Jongin and Jongin couldn’t understand it and Kyungsoo didn’t know how to explain it. They still spend the evenings together and lay side by side in the same bed but they hardly spoke. Kyungsoo had expected Jongin to leave as soon as he would see that Kyungsoo could no longer show him what it meant to be human. There was nothing good left in him, nothing but pain and anger. He was just broken and he could not do anything for Jongin anymore. But Jongin did not leave, he was always there when Kyungsoo came back from home, when they went to bed and when they woke up. He still looked at him with the same unreadable expression in his yellow eyes. Kyungsoo felt that he did not deserve Jongin’s patience or whatever it was that kept him from leaving.  
For a moment the horrible pain and fear of losing Jongin nearly crushed him then he gained back control over his thoughts.

Kyungsoo had rarely been to this part of the city, he had always been in the parts of the park near university. The playground was however on the other end of the park. The playground was not as crowded as the park; there were just families and nannies with children.  
Kyungsoo spotted Yifan near the fence at a bench. He was sitting there, his eyes straight ahead focused on the playing children. After one month of searching, finally there he was. He had spent many hours investigating Yifan, his past and putting theories together where he was hiding. But after everything, Kyungsoo no longer believed that Yifan would really have killed Junmyeon. Somehow there was this absurd hope that Yifan had done a deal with Kyu and had him brought away. It was stupid and made no sense whatsoever and he didn’t know how it would have been possible, how they should have done it. They hadn’t had any time to come up with such a thing. He just desperately wanted there to be another plan. But there was no other plan. No one could have thought this all through up to this point.

Kyungsoo sat down next to Yifan without a word. Yifan did not look up or avert his eyes, it seemed like Yifan had expected Kyungsoo to turn up. Kyungsoo watched him for a while until he noticed that Yifan was watching a young girl with brown hair put up in pigtails on the swing. She was laughing while a man was pushing her so she could swing higher and higher.  
  “How old is she now?” Kyungsoo asked then.  
  “Six”, Yifan said.  
  “Are you not going to say hello?” Kyungsoo asked then.  
  “She won’t remember me. She hasn’t seen me for almost 2 years”, Yifan said.  
Kyungsoo suddenly felt an aching pain in his chest as he saw the suffering in Yifan’s eyes. He felt sorry for him and suddenly did not know how he could arrest him. He had been through enough, he had suffered enough. They all had.  
  “I’m sure she hasn’t forgotten you”, Kyungsoo said softly.  
  “It would be better if she had. I wouldn’t want her to remember the last time we saw each other”, Yifan said.

They were quiet for a long time and the little girl got down from the swing. She ran toward a woman who put a braided crown of flowers onto her hair. The girl beamed broadly and laughed. She spoke to the woman and they got up and left the playground. Kyungsoo was surprised when they neared their bench but they walked past them.  
  “Here you go, sweetheart”, the woman said.  
When Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder, he saw the man and the woman picking flowers together with the girl so she could make a braid of flowers, too. She braided the flowers into a bracelet and was just finished when the flower crown on her head was blown of the wind. She cried out and reached for it as it escaped her little hands she ran after it. Yifan got up and caught it and the girl stopped before him with big eyes. She looked up at the tall man, looking intimidated. Yifan however crouched down and put the flower crown back on her head.  
  “Careful, princess. Here you go”, he said gently.  
The girl looked at him wordlessly and touched the flower crown. Then she realised she was still holding her self-made flower bracelet. She took Yifan’s big hand into her small ones and put the bracelet around his wrist. Yifan looked down at the bracelet.  
  “Thank you”, the girl said then brightly.  
Yifan opened his mouth and looked at her. The girl turned around and ran back to her adoptive parents who had stared at Yifan. Kyungsoo quickly got up, if the parents called the police because they had recognised Yifan then there would be a big scene. And Kyungsoo would not have it that Yifan was arrested in front of his daughter. He pulled out his badge and flashed it in their direction, making sure the child would not see it, and their faces relaxed.  
  “Let’s go”, he said quietly and put his hand onto Yifan’s shoulder as he showed the badge back into his pocket.  
When Yifan didn’t move Kyungsoo looked down at him and saw that there were tears on Yifan’s face.

Kyungsoo called a taxi and got in it with Yifan. They were silent for almost the entire ride only when they were a few meters away from their destination, Yifan spoke up.  
  “Is there a grave? For Junmyeon?” he asked. Kyungsoo turned to look at Yifan who was still looking out the window.  
  “Uh, yeah”, he said. Yifan loosened the flower braid around his wrist and gave it to Kyungsoo.  
  “Can you put it there, please?” Yifan asked. Kyungsoo looked at the flowers in his hand.  
  “But it is –“, he started.  
  “Junmyeon kept his promise, I couldn’t thank him”, Yifan just said and looked away again.  
  “His promise?” Kyungsoo asked puzzled as the car stopped. But Yifan did not respond.

They got out of the car and Kyungsoo guided Yifan into the police headquarter.  
When Kyungsoo left the headquarters he wished he could lay down and scream, but he drove to the graveyard as promised and put the flowers on Junmyeon’s grave. They had put up a grave even though there had been no body to bury. The grave was already covered in flowers.  
  “Yifan sends his thanks. He said thank you for keeping your promise. He met with his daughter, the flowers were meant for him. So it means a lot that he’s giving them to you, doesn’t it?” Kyungsoo said out loud.  
Then he sat down, hugging his knees. He stared at the tombstone and the flowers on the grave.  
  “I couldn’t apologise to you and I didn’t thank you… you were my friend, you really were my friend”, Kyungsoo whispered.  
And finally the tears fell. He let himself fall into the grass, the smell of the wet grass and earth in his nose, he cried. Before Junmyeon he would not have to hide anymore, he knew how broken Kyungsoo was. It was getting darker and as the sun was setting, it started raining.  
Kyungsoo thought of the kids at the shelter who had prayed. He wished he could believe in something that could ease the pain. Something that told him that Junmyeon was still out there somewhere and they would meet again so he could properly apologise and thank him.  
It was warm at the shelter, comfortably. The fabric of the tents brushed his face, Jongin’s hand was touching his cheek. Junmyeon was turning on the mattress on the floor and Kyu was running her fingertip over the beautiful drawn map. Junmyeon was flipping through Kyu’s book, looking very concentrated and the sunrays fell into the hall through little cracks. Junmyeon looked up and smiled, it was odd. He had rarely smiled.  
  “Kyungsoo”.  
The sun was blinding Kyungsoo now, he could hardly see Junmyeon anymore.  
  “Kyungsoo!”

He gasped and sat up. There really was a light that was blinding him, but he did not feel warm at all. His clothes were drenched and he was shaking. It was cold and dark. Yellow eyes were glowing in the darkness above him.  
  “Kyungsoo”, Jongin said.  
But Kyungsoo could not get up, he was so exhausted and tired, so tired. Jongin picked him up and carried him. His head rolling against Jongin’s chest, it was the first time in over a month that they had been this close.

 

*

The next day, Kyungsoo was woken up by Jongin who gently tapped his shoulder.  
  “Kyungsoo, there is someone here to speak to you. He says he is a lawyer”, Jongin said.  
Kyungsoo got up but did not bother to brush his hair or put on fresh clothes. He was still staying at Jongdae’s house, the bedroom had been left untouched. Everyone was waiting for Jongdae’s return but no one spoke about it. Minseok was as long and often at the hospital as possible but he was not allowed to stay. Jongdae had undergone several surgeries and was stable now. But he would have to stay at the hospital for at least another month to be sure the recovery was going well.

In the kitchen a man in dark clothes awaited him.  
  “Mr Do Kyungsoo”, he said and reached out his hand. “Dylan Yamamoto”, he introduced himself. “I am here because of Dr Kim Junmyeon’s last will”, he added.  
Kyungsoo had to sit down, Jongin remained in the doorframe, waiting to be send away. But neither the lawyer nor Kyungsoo said something.  
  “He has expressed his wish for a comprehensive clarification and education of the citizens of this city about the project. He has left all his files and information he has collected to be published. He has also made several notes about maps and information which he had to leave behind at his hometown and at a so called shelter in the desert. He wishes for the house of his grandfather to be torn down, as it is a crime scene which has yet to be given free, we cannot follow this wish just now. But he has left you, Mr Do Kyungsoo, all the books of the library, the technical equipment and valuable objects of the house. He writes that you will know how to distribute them to those who might find proper use for them. He has also left you a significant amount of his money, as well as this letter”, Dylan Yamamoto said.

He handed Kyungsoo a thin letter and placed a document onto the table.  
  “We have to go through a bit of paperwork because of the money and the valuables he has left you. We will go through them and I will need your signature so you can collect them at the house”, Yamamoto continued.  
Kyungsoo was hardly listening, he did not care about the valuable objects or books. He wanted to open the letter. He quickly signed the documents and agreed to collect the valuables as soon as the crime scene was declassified as such.

When the lawyer had left Kyungsoo left the house as well, he wanted to read the letter alone. Jongin seemed confused when Kyungsoo shook his head. Kyungsoo went down to the beach and sat in the cool sand. It was cloudy that day and it looked like it would rain soon. Monsoon season was about to start. Kyungsoo opened the letter and unfolded the paper.

> _Kyungsoo,_   
>  _I am very sorry for all the pain and worries I have caused you. Believe me, please that I have never wanted to deliberately hurt you or lie to you. Should this all go well then I won’t be able to tell you personally what has been going on. I worked this out with Kyu but I think should she survive this, she will not stay in the city. I’m not sure whether you will meet her therefore I believe I owe you a lengthy explanation. However I am lacking the words to tell you about everything. I have written down everything I could find out about the experiment and the Aureum Luscus.  
>  I think on this planet, there is no place that is entirely good. But after all, I hope this city might be a bit of a better place now that we have put an end to the experiment. I hope you can live here a good and happy life. You deserve it._   
>  _I left you and your friends all my money, I hope it is enough to build you all a new home so you can lead a safe and stable life._
> 
> _Thank you for being my friend._
> 
> _Junmyeon_
> 
>  

Kyungsoo folded the paper again and put it back into the envelope. Why did Junmyeon apologise? Kyungsoo should be the one to apologise. To Junmyeon, to Jongin, to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, to Jongdae and Minseok...

He leaned back into the sand and listened to the waves of the ocean rushing back and forth. Only a few months ago he had stood here, seeing the ocean for the first time and had thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Back then the guilt had been crushing him, too. He was going to betray Baekhyun and Chanyeol by bringing everyone into the city.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes and twitched as the horrible pictures flashed in his mind. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw those scenes, the people who had died, those who he had killed...

He did not deserve forgiveness but that didn't change the fact that he had to ask everyone for forgiveness. He had made a promise to Jongin and if he wanted to keep it - and he was determined to do so - he needed to put the pieces of himself together and get a grip. He was sure that he certainly did not deserve a good and happy life but Jongin did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, there is only one chapter left! I can't believe it is almost over...  
> The last chapter will focus more on Jongin and Kyungsoo once again and it will be a bit longer, too.  
> Thank you for coming along on their journey and sticking with them.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and anticipate the last chapter next week!


	21. Twenty

It was not easy to go on, to continue in any way with life. It was strange that a new morning came and the days went on. But visiting Junmyeon’s grave and reading his letter had triggered something inside Kyungsoo. He could not ignore and push away Jongin any longer.  
It was three days after receiving Junmyeon’s letter on his day off when he made tea and brought it into the living room where Jongin was sitting on their bed-sofa. Jongin had tousled hair and was reading something on a tablet. Kyungsoo sat down and reached out the mug with steaming tea.

“Good morning”.

Jongin looked up, he was surprised. He looked down at the tea and then frowned.

“I should start with apologising for – for being such a – I don’t know. I was not there for you the last month, I was just –“, Kyungsoo said. Jongin put the tablet away and took the mug. But his fingers stroked over Kyungsoo’s hand while taking it.

“It was so much to deal with, to understand. I didn’t know how to deal with it”, Kyungsoo started.

“And now you want me to leave”, Jongin interrupted him. Kyungsoo started at him.

“What? No! Why would I want that?” he called distraught. Jongin flinched startled when Kyungsoo raised his voice.

“I just thought”, Jongin started unsure. Kyungsoo looked at him pained.

“No, Jongin. I told you I want to be with you no matter what. I was not myself the last month, I know that and I want to better myself. I’m trying to get a grip”, Kyungsoo said.

“My feelings toward you have not changed”, he added. Jongin put the mug to the low table next to the sofa and inched closer.

“You want me to stay?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo finally looked into those glowing eyes and Jongin looked back at him.

“I want to start new – with you”, Kyungsoo said.

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked.

“I want to move out and find a place of our own, maybe somewhere close to the beach. So you can be near the water –“, Kyungsoo said.

“Yes”, Jongin threw in. “Yeah, I’m coming with you”, he said.

Kyungsoo smiled for the first time in a while. Happiness flooded through his body, he had never expected Jongin's answer to be anything like that. Jongin lifted his hands and put them onto Kyungsoo’s cheeks like he had always done. His eyes were still fixed on Kyungsoo’s eyes. Jongin smiled.

It was such an intimate and wonderful moment, everything was fine for that few seconds. Jongin's hand on Kyungsoo's cheek, his glowing gaze meeting Kyungsoo's.

With the money Junmyeon had left him, Kyungsoo bought a nice little house near the ocean, so Jongin could spend as much time as he wanted near the water. They spend their evenings together outside, sitting in the sand at the beach in front of the house. A few days after moving in, Kyungsoo had all the things he had inherited from Junmyeon be delivered to their new house. Kyungsoo did not read Junmyeon’s books or notes, he couldn’t stand thinking about Jongin as an object being analysed. There would be nothing in Junmyeon’s study that could give him answers. It would only remind him of the many things that were still unclear to Kyungsoo and that didn’t let him sleep at night.  
Who had taken Junmyeon’s body and why? Where did Kyu go to and was she still alive…? Sean didn’t cure her, it seemed like she was so sick nothing could save her anymore and even though she had woken up, her time seemed terribly limited. And what had happened to the few Aureum Luscus who had not joined their group to break into the city and those who had killed everyone at camp three before Kyu’s and Junmyeon’s group had arrived there? Those were the ones Junmyeon had been worried about…

Jongin didn’t seem to worry about that at all and Kyungsoo couldn’t blame him. He really wanted to leave everything in the past and move on. Jongin did not want to talk about the things that had happened during the riots at camp two and neither the time when he had been a child. So Kyungsoo didn’t ask but it was hard to keep from Jongin how much Kyungsoo was still thinking about everything. But somehow Jongin had started reading Junmyeon’s journals and notes on the Aureum Luscus and the prototype cure. He knew that Kyungsoo didn’t want to see it, so he would hastily put the notes away whenever Kyungsoo came into the room.

Kyungsoo earned enough to provide for them but Junmyeon’s money made everything easier. Even after having shared the money with Kenta, Sean, Minseok and Jongdae. Kyungsoo was still struggling with his crushing guilt, anxiety and panic attacks. He had thought it would get better as soon as he had moved out of Jongdae’s house and started a new life with Jongin but hardly anything had changed.

Jongin would wake up whenever Kyungsoo had nightmares and then they just switched on the lights because they couldn’t talk about it but Jongin knew what caused Kyungsoo’s nightmares. And one night he had simply put his arms around Kyungsoo’s shoulders gently and had just held him. After that it seemed that he hardly ever let go of Kyungsoo. They started to fall asleep in the arms of each other. But while Jongin was confident in holding Kyungsoo and initiating body contact, he still did not dare to kiss Kyungsoo first. Kyungsoo had to tell Jongin that they could kiss anytime he wanted, Jongin didn’t have to wait until they were sitting at the ocean to do so. His heart clenched when he saw that it made Jongin happy. And one day it had just slipped out of him, casually. He had wanted to say it in a special moment, making sure that Jongin understood but that day it had just felt right.

They were standing in the kitchen, putting the pots back into the cupboard. It was late in the evening and they had cooked dinner together after Kyungsoo had come back from work. Jongin turned around, he was smiling at Kyungsoo. His face would always change completely when he smiled. Jongin was wearing an apron that looked ridiculous on him but the sight was endearing. Kyungsoo had never thought that this could happen. He had never dared to hope that he would be here with Jongin, alive, healthy and happy standing in the kitchen of their home.

“I love you”.

Jongin looked surprised when Kyungsoo had so suddenly said it. His lips parted and then he smiled. Jongin looked down and bit his lip. Kyungsoo frowned and tried to catch his eye.

“What’s wrong? Are you – laughing?” he asked bewildered. Jongin looked up.

“That’s because I’m happy”, he said.

And Kyungsoo had to laugh, too as he remembered their little moment at the beach when Jongin had been confused about Kyungsoo laughing out of happiness. Then he slid his arms loosely around Jongin’s mid and hugged him.

 

Kenta dropped in every now and then, he seemed to do well. Better than everyone else. He continued his job for the city security and told them that he had moved out of Jongdae’s house and got his own apartment. Jongdae who was soon to be discharged from the hospital had not yet agreed to accept Kyungsoo’s offer to join him in the special task force. Minseok would probably go and do whatever Jongdae was doing. Minseok never said anything so it was hard to tell, he had become even more distant and silent than ever before.

But many of the city citizens were sceptical of Kyungsoo and his new task force, he had been let off the hook too many times by now. Jongdae’s status was also rather low. He had been a guard at the camps and then had helped them to break into the city.

Kyungsoo had to study the laws and rules of the city before he was allowed to work officially. Even though his main duty was to investigate corrupt high ranking officials it was necessary to know about the basics of the city. And the city had many rules; Kyungsoo saw just then how many laws he had bend and broken within the shortest time period. The other police officers did not like Kyungsoo or his task force either.  
But the worst was when he met Sergeant Choi again. It had been him who had taken away his weapons upon entering the city for the first time. Back then they had not even really talked but Kyungsoo clearly remembered the lie Sergeant Choi had told him. He had been supposed to get back his weapons but of course then Kyungsoo had not known about the strict weapon prohibition in the city. Sergeant Choi was probably the one who disliked Kyungsoo’s new position the most. He did not even try to conceal his disapproval. Kyungsoo who had to get to know every department of the city police ran into Sergeant Choi right on his first day. Sergeant Choi was the leader of the Special Investigation Unit for Organised Crime. Kyungsoo knew that he was also in charge of the weapon control unit. Maybe the fact that Kyungsoo and his friends had gotten their hands on several weapons and used them was why Sergeant Choi was especially mad about Kyungsoo getting away with it.

Kyungsoo was introduced by the Police Chief to the entire headquarter and then continued to personally meet and introduce himself to the leaders of the respective units. Kyungsoo thought it was a waste of time but he knew that the governor had a strategic reason for this. He wanted them to accept Kyungsoo and come to trust him. He did not want to give him missions right away, Kyungsoo should only go around and meet everyone and act friendly. But at the same time Kyungsoo kept thinking it was a great irony to act friendly when it was his future duty to investigate and suspect each and every one of them to be potentially corrupted.

“Sergeant Choi”, Kyungsoo said and shook his hand.

Sergeant Choi gave him a cold glare and his handshake was very strong. He was a few heads taller than Kyungsoo and made him feel that by looking pointedly down on Kyungsoo.

“Do Kyungsoo, huh”, he said then with a nasty undertone.

“I’ve got my title back, it is Lieutenant Do Kyungsoo”, Kyungsoo said calmly.

“Is it?” Sergeant Choi said coolly.

“Don’t be like that, Minho”, a young woman from Sergeant Choi’s team said.

“Detective Choi Sooyoung, please call me Sooyoung”, she said. Kyungsoo shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you”, he said. She smiled and then slapped Choi Minho’s arm.

“Don’t make such a scary face, I don’t think you’ll impress him with that”, she said and laughed. “Forgive my brother”, she added. Kyungsoo smiled.

“Right”, he murmured.

“Sooyoung, I’ve got something for you to look at”, another member from their team called from their office.

“I gotta go”, she said. “Stop that macho stuff and come back quickly, right? We’ve got an important case”, she said to her brother and took off.

Minho grabbed Kyungsoo and pulled him closer now that they were alone in the corridor.

“What a coincidence that a deceiving and corrupt army Lieutenant becomes the police investigator to find corrupt cops”, he said lowly. Kyungsoo raised one eyebrow.

“What are you saying?” he asked calmly.

“Oh, don’t act stupid. You’ve broken too many laws and rules, you should be behind bars but here you are running around. I know that you’ve used your connections and influential friends to get you this position and keep you and your little friends out of prison. But believe me, I will put all of you back in there where you belong”, he growled.

“I’ve used no connections or friends to get this job, it was offered to me”, Kyungsoo said and pulled himself free from Minho’s grip.

“But I’m only helping to make this city a better place, a job you’ve been failing to do”, Kyungsoo said. Minho grabbed him again.

“What -?” he asked.

“Funny, how the leader of the investigation team for weapon control had no idea about the huge smuggler ring – “, Kyungsoo said but his words were cut off when Minho smashed him with his back into the wall.

“I’m onto you and your friend. I know you’re covering him! I know about that smuggler ring and I will fucking destroy it and I’ll prove you helped covering them and then it’s over for you”, Minho called fuming.

“Really?” Kyungsoo asked.

“You have no clue how things work here in the city. Now that the governor's pet - another one of your little friends - is dead, no one will protect you any longer. I am doing my job right and by removing you from this city, it will be a safer place once more”, Minho growled.

“Oh really? Because I think your Police Commissioner was a crazy sociopath who contributed to mass murder, torture and was terribly corrupt right under your nose. And you knew nothing of it so don’t tell me you were doing your job the right way”, Kyungsoo said and shoved Minho aside.

Minho could not say anything to that and just scowled as Kyungsoo walked away.

 

*

Jongin and Kyungsoo visited Jongdae in the hospital a few times but he was discharged soon. Minseok was walking besides Jongdae giving the impression of an overprotective bodyguard, ready to strike down anyone who would come to close to Jongdae. Kyungsoo had wanted to help Jongdae to find back into his life but he was so busy with his new job and Jongdae seemed like he still did not want much contact to anyone. Kyungsoo knew that it was not just the recovery from the shot wound that was hard, the hardest battle was the one of the mind. Jongdae, too, had seen many things and had done many things.

After Jongin and Kyungsoo had accompanied Jongdae home from the hospital, they returned to their house at the beach. It was not too far away so they could walk.

They sat down at their terrace and watched the waves in silence for a while.

“Do you think that Minseok is in love with Jongdae?” Jongin suddenly asked.

“What?” Kyungsoo was surprised. He had not expected such a question.

“I’ve been reading Junmyeon’s notes –“, Jongin said and interrupted himself with a short side glance at Kyungsoo.

“He writes that we – we could feel love and all those emotions. His theory about the antibodies in our system is solid and the evidence is there. There were all files about his patients and I mean… Minseok’s file was there as well. I read it”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo frowned.

“The therapy did not work for him”, Kyungsoo said slowly.

“I know, that’s not what I mean. It’s that despite all of that, he still is with Jongdae, isn’t he? Theoretically, he has no reason to be with Jongdae. He should not be able to feel anything for Jongdae”, Jongin said.

Kyungsoo opened his mouth. He had never thought about it.

“Maybe it’s simply his choice”, Kyungsoo said then.

“His choice?” Jongin repeated. Kyungsoo tilted his head.

“Maybe he chose to stay with Jongdae not because he thinks it will be of advantage to him but because he thinks that if he were able to feel, he would love him”, Kyungsoo explained.

“But that's exactly what I mean – isn’t that love? That he chooses to be with him despite everything and never leaves his side?” Jongin said thoughtfully. Kyungsoo looked at him, he was confused.

“Yeah, maybe… I – what are you trying to say?” he asked then.

“Junmyeon wrote that the first of our kind have the most antibodies and the later generations have fewer. I am the 26th experiment”, Jongin started.

“Don’t call yourself experiment!” Kyungsoo interrupted him distraught.

“But I am”, Jongin stated plainly. They looked at each other.

“You are so much more than that”, Kyungsoo said then quietly.

“I compared my blood analysis with Minseok’s and the others”, Jongin continued after a short pause. Kyungsoo waited for him to go on.

“My blood is quite different from Minseok”, Jongin said then.

“You don’t have antibodies?” Kyungsoo asked tensely.

“I do. I don’t have as many as Minseok but it made me think… It doesn’t really matter how many antibodies one has in their system. We have been brainwashed into believing we are simply not able to feel but Minseok is able to. Just because he chooses to do so. And I – I didn’t know what it really meant to feel things. I didn’t decide to feel anything”, Jongin said.

He looked at Kyungsoo. His eyes were glowing in the evening sun and the light made them shine like gold.

“It just happened”, Jongin said. Kyungsoo couldn’t say a thing.

“And I didn’t understand it. I thought, it must have been gratitude, owing you something. Anything. I couldn’t understand any of it. I tried to read everything there is on all those emotions, I looked for explanations in Junmyeon’s notes. But Junmyeon, who was a purist who studied us, he wrote down that he understands the least! He wrote he never had been in love. But that a young teenager wouldn’t know either what love was and could still fall in love. Junmyeon said that sometimes it was a choice and sometimes it simply happened. And then it would be – somehow like this”, Jongin said, his voice had gotten louder.

“Like this?” Kyungsoo asked. “Like Minseok and Jongdae?” he asked.

“No, yes, maybe. But I mean everything that has happened since you rescued me. You choose to rescue me and I came with you. I chose to stay with you when I had the chance to leave but after I made that choice everything just – happened”, Jongin said.

He was struggling to explain what he wanted to say. Kyungsoo put his hand on Jongin’s cheek like Jongin usually did. Jongin looked at him surprised and then his eyes closed when Kyungsoo leaned forward to kiss him.

 

*

Baekhyun shifted around on his chair while Chanyeol was signing his papers.

“All the best to you, Mr Park”, the nurse said warmly. “Goodbye, Mr Byun”, she added with a smile. Baekhyun promptly shot a smile back at her.

Then he followed Chanyeol into the elevator, as soon as the doors shut, the noise of the daily business of the hospital was shut out. Baekhyun nervously looked at Chanyeol. He had been in psychological care for about a month but he had recovered quite fast after a few weeks of completely shutting everyone and everything out. The first two weeks, Chanyeol didn’t want to see anyone and Baekhyun knew that he hadn’t been allowed to either. But after two long weeks, Baekhyun was finally allowed to see Chanyeol. But he quickly learnt that it had been doctor’s orders, she had wanted Chanyeol to meet Baekhyun and talk to him. But nothing of the sort had happened. They had spent another week, seven days, sitting in Chanyeol’s room in total silence. Baekhyun had tried to start a conversation many times but Chanyeol would not respond, in fact he didn’t even look at Baekhyun.

On the first day of seeing him, Baekhyun had been rather speechless himself. Chanyeol and he were meeting in a visitor’s room and Chanyeol had hardly sat down when Baekhyun had burst into tears. Chanyeol looked gaunt, his eyes were blood-shot and had dark circles under his eyes. He avoided looking at Baekhyun by staring at the table between them.

The next day, Baekhyun apologised over and over again and there had been so much more that Baekhyun had wanted to say but everything seemed inappropriate and he couldn’t say anything out loud besides: “Sorry. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I’m so sorry”.

Baekhyun talked a nurse into letting him know about Chanyeol’s state. He wasn’t sleeping and he refused to eat. When they had given him an old device to repair and take apart, so he had something to do – something he had always loved to - he had thrown the device against the wall and had screamed that he would never touch another device again or design anything for anyone.  
But Baekhyun still came the next day and the day after that and after that. They were allowed to sit in Chanyeol’s room where Baekhyun would apologise a hundred times and then talk about what was going on outside. Jongdae was still in hospital, he was recovering but it would take time. Kyungsoo was now the leader of a special task force for internal investigation and corruption working directly for the governor. Baekhyun was not going to university because he could not focus and was worried about Chanyeol, about Jongdae.

Chanyeol did not react to any of this and just blankly looked at the wall. Then came a few days were Chanyeol did nothing but sleep. Baekhyun came either way and sat at his bedside watching him sleep or continue to update Chanyeol, even though he couldn’t hear him.

Then finally after the terrible week of completely ignoring Baekhyun, Chanyeol suddenly starting speaking again.

It had been a Monday morning and Baekhyun had come into Chanyeol’s room bringing the breakfast.

“Good morning, Chanyeol. I asked the nurse whether I could bring you the breakfast, also I brought your favourite soup with me”, he said and put the tray down on Chanyeol’s bed.

Baekhyun shook the raindrops out of his hair.

“It’s still raining, quite rare, isn’t it?” Baekhyun said and hung his jacket on the rack near the door.

“Oh, you’re eating. I hope it’s good. I made the soup myself, I thought maybe you would – they told me you don’t want to eat. And I thought maybe the food here isn’t good – and your favourite soup would cheer you up. Or maybe you could eat –“, Baekhyun babbled nervously.

“It’s fine”.

Baekhyun stopped abruptly when Chanyeol interrupted him.

Tears walled in his eyes. “I-Is it?” Baekhyun asked, fighting the tears down but they were already rolling down his face.

“Why are you crying?” Chanyeol asked, he sounded rough.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. It’s because I was so worried about you and we weren’t talking. I couldn’t explain anything and tell you how sorry I am”, Baekhyun sobbed.

“You already apologised about a thousand times”, Chanyeol simply said while nipping at the soup.

“You cannot forgive me?” Baekhyun asked quietly after a long pause.

Chanyeol took another nip of the soup and looked up. Baekhyun flinched, it was the first time in almost a month that Chanyeol looked directly at him. His eyes were strangely cold and Baekhyun could not read his feelings. Baekhyun pressed his lips together as the tears rolled down his cheeks, his hands were clasped together so tightly, it was painful.

“Do you want me to leave?” he sobbed.

“Why did you come to the house?” Chanyeol asked instead. Baekhyun looked at him perplex.

“I - what?” he asked. Chanyeol just looked at him.

“The house? Oh. I knew something was wrong and the others knew something was going on, too. They thought Jun- they thought he – he was the bad guy. I thought you were in danger because you were working for him”, Baekhyun said, avoiding to say Junmyeon’s name.

“How did you get inside?” Chanyeol asked then. Baekhyun looked down.

“I already told you… I – I copied your transponder, well Kenta’s program did. I’m – I’m ashamed of that and I didn’t want to do it but – I didn’t know what else to do. I just couldn’t stand the thought of losing you again”, Baekhyun whispered.

“The weapons?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun still didn’t dare to look up.

“Not mine. I swear, we borrowed them from smugglers”, Baekhyun murmured.

“Did you – did you shoot someone?” Chanyeol asked then quietly. Baekhyun finally looked up.

“No, I hit someone in the leg but that wasn’t lethal”, he said desperately.

“But you know how to use a gun”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun breathed out, shortly closing his eyes. It was best to be honest.

“Yes, yes I know how to use a gun”, he confessed.

“God, Baekhyun”, Chanyeol groaned.

“I’ve never shot at a person before! I would never – I only shot at a paper target once for fun, to know what it is like. Please Chanyeol… what were you thinking? You really think I am that cold blooded to kill someone like that?” Baekhyun asked terrified.

Chanyeol looked at him and his cold eyes softened a little. “No”.

“Look, you were behaving really strangely that night, it was like you were – saying goodbye and I got scared”, Baekhyun started again.

“Because I was saying goodbye”, Chanyeol interrupted him. Baekhyun’s mouth stood open.

“What do you mean?” he asked then.

“Once I am allowed to leave this hospital I will definitely be arrested”, Chanyeol said emotionless. Baekhyun shook his head.

“No, what are you saying? Kenta made sure no one knows that you –“, Baekhyun whispered.

“They know that I was working for Dr Kim Junior, they know that I was there. They were already here to question me”, Chanyeol said coldly.

Baekhyun shook his head, his fingers pressed to his lips. “No, no. They have no evidence, you’ve done nothing wrong. You broke no law”, he whispered desperately.

“What did you tell them?” he asked then. A thin line appeared between Chanyeol’s dark brows.

“I said that I don’t remember much from the night. I said that Dr Kim never told me what the glasses were for”, Chanyeol said. Baekhyun sat on Chanyeol’s bed and grabbed his arm.

“But that’s good. They can’t proof anything. They won’t arrest you, they can’t! I will ask Kyungsoo”, Baekhyun said intensely.

“Leave Kyungsoo out of this, he can’t fix everything unlike in your imagination”, Chanyeol said sharply.

Baekhyun’s hands tightened around Chanyeol’s arms. “Stop it! How can you – this isn’t about Kyungsoo. I’m just so damn scared for you. I cannot stand the thought of losing you, I won’t let this happen. I won’t let them take you. Don’t you get it? That’s what it all was about. I went in there to protect you and get you out of trouble, the way you always did for me. I wanted to repay what you’ve done all those years. I wanted to make sure you were safe”, Baekhyun called, shaking Chanyeol’s arms. The cold look in Chanyeol’s face finally dissolved into confusion.

“You idiot”, Chanyeol murmured quietly when Baekhyun burst into tears again and sunk against Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol quickly saved the breakfast tray that was about to slid off the bed and put it onto the bedside table.

“I wanted to keep you out of danger and trouble, so I didn’t tell you what I was working on and what would happen that night”, Chanyeol said. “I didn’t want you to get shot again”.

Baekhyun only sobbed more when Chanyeol put his arms around him.

“Can you forgive me?” Baekhyun cried into his shirt.

“Only if you don’t decorate my entire shirt with snot”, Chanyeol murmured and Baekhyun cried harder.

 

*

The hardest part had been to interrogate Baekhyun officially. It had tainted their friendship and Kyungsoo was not sure where they stood anymore. But in the end Baekhyun had given in and had named him the people of the smuggler group. Baekhyun was not detailed on what kind of relationship he had to the smugglers, he only said that they had hung out a few times. Kyungsoo did his best to influence the governor to save Baekhyun from serving time in prison. In the end, Baekhyun got away with several hours of community service. Chanyeol seemed to have left the psychological care after a month and picked up a new job. But Kyungsoo didn’t dare to approach him or Baekhyun to ask them about their relationship. Baekhyun who was usually talkative and would have told him all about his relationship with Chanyeol without asking, said nothing to Kyungsoo. Maybe because they were sitting in Kyungsoo’s office in a government building for the interrogation. Baekhyun was terse and answered Kyungsoo’s question in few words. As soon as the interrogation had been over, Baekhyun had got up and left. 

 

It was awkward between them, but they all met up just a week after Baekhyun’s interrogation. Baekhyun was not as cold as on the day of his interrogation but his greeting was a bit stiff. Jongin had of course noticed it and looked at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo had not told Jongin about the interrogation and quickly gave him a sign that they would talk about it later. Chanyeol had his arm around Baekhyun’s waist which could have meant everything or nothing. They stood in front of the reception house at the entrance to the city. Jongdae lifted the cap off his head and tousled his hair and put the cap back on. It was very warm today, the short spring was already nearing its end. Soon the heat would return and the sun would burn down merciless.

The high grey wall that surrounded the city was rising up in front of them.

“Are you sure about this?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongdae looked over his shoulder, the city spread below them and was glowing in the morning sun.

“Yeah”, he said then. He smiled shortly but it looked like an apology.

“Your task force will do well, I’m sure of it. You will be great”, Jongdae said. Kyungsoo opened his mouth but then just nodded and smiled. He clasped Jongdae’s hand.

“Thanks a lot…”, he said and cleared his throat. “Take care”.

Jongdae nodded. Baekhyun was bouncing nervously on his feet and chewed on his lip. Chanyeol had walked over to Minseok and was explaining him the new hologram device he had developed. Jongin nodded at Jongdae.

“Take care”, Jongdae said. He stopped and looked at Baekhyun.

“Goodbye, Baekhyun”, Jongdae said quietly.

The bright morning sun was blinding them. Baekhyun looked like he was fighting with tears for a moment but then regained control over himself. He stood on his tiptoes and hugged Jongdae. Chanyeol briskly nodded at Jongdae. Minseok also walked over and shortly smiled at Kyungsoo.

“Thanks for everything”, he said. Kyungsoo nodded.

“Sure. I too have to thank you. Take care, I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for”, Kyungsoo said. Minseok nodded. Jongin and Minseok looked at each other.

“Goodbye”, Jongin said. Jongdae had already walked over to the jeep and had opened the door when Baekhyun called out the question everyone wanted to ask but didn’t dare to:

“Will you come back?”

Jongdae held onto the car door for a moment and then turned around to face them. He smiled again, apologetic. Minseok climbed into the jeep.

“No”, Jongdae said and then got into the jeep, too.

He started the jeep and with a buzzing sound a light appeared to scan Jongdae and Minseok. The familiar electronical voice spoke up, announcing their permission to leave the city. The gate opened with a rumbling sound and the two drove through it. The wide desert in a blazing morning sun was seen for a moment as the gate opened. Then it closed and the jeep with Jongdae and Minseok disappeared.

Kyungsoo sighed and looked at Baekhyun. “I knew that Minseok wouldn’t stay in the city. He could never live here”, Kyungsoo said.

“But why did Jongdae go?” Baekhyun asked fighting his tears. For that moment the bitterness and coldness between them was gone. Chanyeol was still looking at the gate where the desert had just been visible a minute ago.

“You know why”, he said. Then his face softened and he put his arm around Baekhyun and pulled him close. Baekhyun buried his face in Chanyeol’s chest.

“Let’s go back”, Kyungsoo finally said and they all made their way back down to the city.

It felt strange to walk together as a group like this. The awkwardness and coolness between them eased a little more when Chanyeol started telling them about his new job at a smaller company that was working on hologram devices and Jongin invited them over to their house at the Oceanside. It was a calm morning, it was still quiet. In the peace of the morning lay the promise of hope to an ordinary life after the nightmares. But when Jongin’s fingers slid into Kyungsoo’s hand, he felt like maybe they could achieve it.

A normal life. He felt like they could both figure out what it meant to be human and prove each other how much they still were human. No matter how broken and tired. When he looked at Jongin his chest was so full of overwhelming feelings, for a moment he thought his chest would burst open.

 

Jongdae and Minseok drove in silence for a while, then when the hologram made a little peeping sound, they both looked at it.

“Looks like it is telling us that our first stop is not safe for the night, we’ve got to look for another spot. I guess we better contact the Commander and tell him we’ll be arriving later”, Jongdae said. He caught Minseok’s face.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you regret it?” Minseok asked.

“What?” Jongdae asked again.

“Coming with me… leaving the city. It is your home after all”, Minseok said. Jongdae frowned.

“It was my home. And I know you couldn’t stay there, so of course I would go with you”, Jongdae said. “Besides it is a good job”, he added.

“I’m surprised you asked me whether I would accompany you, though”, Jongdae said then.

“A good job”, Minseok repeated absently.

“Yeah, something with a purpose”, Jongdae said quietly.

He noticed Minseok’s gaze upon him, he surely remembered their talk about having no purpose anymore.

“We get to explore the ruins of the world, find out what happened to the old cities. We get to find new safe zones”, Jongdae said. “That’s… a great purpose to have”.

Minseok said nothing.

It had been a chance for Jongdae, in the city neither of them would have had a chance of a normal life. The city Jongdae once had loved was no more, it had changed. Maybe it had been him who had changed...

This was a new chapter, a different life. They were sure this time that the job they were doing would be good and serve a purpose. And most of all, they would be together. There was no turning back, that had been the deal. Once they joined the secret military team, they could never return to the city or step down. This was a job for a lifetime. They would never see any of their friends again.

The sun had risen and the red orange morning light had turned into a blazing light that blurred the road ahead of them. Back again, in the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is it. The last chapter.  
> Thank you for sticking with this story until the end, I really hope you enjoyed it!  
> Minseok and Jongdae's future is very open-ended but if you really hate that and wish to know what will happen once they start their new life and what their job is going to be like in a bit more detail: I have written a small bonus chapter.  
> Let me know if you are interested and I will upload it.
> 
> Otherwise, thank you so much for all your comments and especially all your kudos!! I appreciate that a lot.  
> This story lies close to my heart as I spent a lot of time writing it, so if you liked it a little bit, this already means a lot to me!


	22. Epilogue [Bonus Chapter]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your kind comments and feedback on this story.  
> Here comes the promised bonus chapter. it does not alter the story in any way and the story is officially over.  
> I received a few questions regarding a sequel... well, I'd love to write one!!  
> If you would like to read it in the future, please do let me know. Also, if there are any questions you'd like answered in a sequel, please leave them below in the comments!!  
> I hope you enjoy this bonus chapter with Minseok and Jongdae

The great grey wall of the city was just falling behind them, just about visible on the horizon when Jongdae stopped the car at their rest spot for the night.

“You think it’s safe here?” Jongdae murmured looking around.

He tapped the hologram but it reported nothing unusual in the area but also nothing about it being a safe place.

“We’ll be fine”, Minseok said. “I think we slept in more dangerous places before”. Jongdae shortly looked at him.

“That’s true”, he murmured.

“You sleep first, I will do the first watch”, Minseok said.

Jongdae climbed into the back of the car and stretched out on the back seat as far as possible and tried to find a comfortable position. They switched in the early morning hours and Jongdae was a bit upset that Minseok had let him sleep for too long, so Minseok would only get a few hours of sleep.

“Calm down, you know I don’t need much sleep. Besides if you drive I can sleep on the passenger seat”, Minseok said as he rolled to the side.

But when the sun rose and they continued their journey, Minseok did not sleep. He sat wide awake in the passenger seat. He was typing away on the hologram device.

“We’ll be there in about three hours”, Minseok said.

Jongdae said nothing, he felt Minseok’s eyes on him constantly. They drove in silence but secretly Jongdae wished they had been talking. It was the first time in a long time that the two were alone like this. And there was so much to talk about. Jongdae didn’t know where they stood or what Minseok was thinking. While he had been doing Junmyeon’s treatment he had told him that he wanted to try a relationship. But their relationship had not much evolved because they had stormed into Junmyeon’s house and Jongdae had almost died and spent months in hospital.  
Jongdae stared at the dusty road and the endless golden dunes surrounding them as he remembered Minseok’s skin on his. Two times. They had been together two times like that and then it had felt like it had already been over. Minseok had not touched or kissed him since Jongdae had been discharged from hospital. It had come as a surprise when Minseok had asked him whether he would come with him on this mission. Months had passed since Minseok’s treatment. From Kyungsoo Jongdae knew that by now the antibodies in Minseok must have fully rebuild. That meant they were blocking off his emotions and feelings just as they had all the years before.

“Are you tired?” Minseok suddenly asked. Jongdae flinched.

“What? Uh, no. Why?” he asked.

“You look tense”, Minseok said. “We’ll be there soon. We can switch though, if you want to rest”, Minseok said. Jongdae shook his head.

“Are you sure?” Minseok asked.

Jongdae shortly gazed over to him and had to hit the brakes. His hands were clutching the steering wheel tightly. How could he miss him so much when he was sitting right there with him? Why was it so painful? He had gone through this before. Why was it different now?  
Minseok looked at him, trying to figure out the weird stare.

“So, are we switching now?” he asked as he pulled back the seat belt.

“Why did you ask me to come with you?” Jongdae asked. Minseok opened his mouth.

“I already told you”, he said and frowned.

“No. You could have left, I know that’s what you wanted. You could never live in that city, you could never live a normal life. Why did you want me to come along? Why me? I thought I would only be a burden, reminding you of – of – or are you back to not even thinking of that? Do you not care? Or does it not bother you?” Jongdae asked.

He was shaking. Minseok stared at him.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say”, Minseok said. Then he turned in his seat so that he sat fully facing Jongdae.

“I hurt you again… by asking you to come with me”, Minseok said.

“No”, Jongdae said and leaned his head into the head support of his seat. He shortly closed his eyes.

“But you are hurt”, Minseok said. Jongdae opened his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I don’t know either this time”, Jongdae said. “Let’s just – go and pretend this never happened”.

Minseok tilted his head. “This?” he asked.

“This just now. This – what I said. Forget it. I’m okay”, Jongdae said and started the engine.

An hour later they arrived at the desert base after a little drone scanned them and allowed them to pass. 5 other trucks were parked near several big tents. Between them people in military uniforms were bustling around. One of them approached the jeep as they stopped.

It was a female with tanned skin and her hair messy and a little tangled pulled into a ponytail.

“Kim Minseok and Kim Jongdae, right?” she asked. They shook hands.

“Welcome to the team. We’re always glad about getting such skilled support”, she said. “This is Commander Oh”, she said and led them to a man in his late forties.

He looked exactly what Jongdae had imagined him to be. A tough look in his face, steely eyes, his forehead carved by a constant deep frown, wrinkles around his eyes and a small grim looking mouth. He was tall and had broad shoulders. The grip when they shook hands was very firm.

“Welcome”, he said curtly.

No one commented on Minseok’s eyes or Jongdae’s past duty as a guard. The group consisted of 4 specially trained soldiers, the Commander, the female who had welcomed them and turned out to be their navigator.

“Mrs Byun knows the desert the best. No one has such a broad knowledge of the world as she does, we would be lost without her. Better than a holographic map”, one of the soldiers told them as Minseok and Jongdae got their things off their jeep into their tent.

There was a proper kitchen and several private rooms in the tent. Jongdae and Minseok would share their room. The bathrooms were in the tent next to them.

“Alright, we meet for a quick discussion on our next steps in 5 minutes in the Commander’s tent. Don’t be late”, he said and left Minseok and Jongdae alone.

They hadn’t brought many things so unpacking didn’t take much longer. Jongdae had just finished putting his clothes into the closet when he noticed Minseok, already finished, standing at Jongdae’s bed. He was holding something in his hand. It was a sea shell. Jongdae closed the closet door and stood next to Minseok.

“I didn’t think you’d keep it – much less to take it with you”, Minseok said.

Jongdae said nothing. When Jongdae had still been in hospital Minseok had visited him and they had gone for a walk at the beach. There had been this beautiful sea shell, glinting bluish in the water. Minseok had picked it up for Jongdae and Jongdae had hold onto it since then. Minseok put the sea shell back down onto the bed side table and then looked at Jongdae. They were standing so close that their arms were touching.

“We can’t be late”, Jongdae said and turned around.

“We’ve cleared the south part, I’d say we –“, Mrs Byun was just saying as Minseok and Jongdae entered the Commander’s tent.

“Ah, there you are. We can start then”, she said. There was a gigantic map projected into the air from a hologram device.

“We are still exploring this city further west, it used to be a metropole in pre-war times. But it was already polluted then, now after the war, it’s worse. So far we could not detect dangerous radiation but still it is safer to not completely eradicate the possibility”, Mrs Byun continued.

“What happened to the city then, if it was not hit by a nuclear bomb?” Jongdae asked.

“Bioweapons killed most of the people and the pollution and illness drove the surviving population away. Conventional bombs destroyed the city”, Commander Oh said.

“However, some people stuck around and might still be living there. We encountered a few of them in district 13-C”, he continued and pointed at a section of the projected map which immediately enlarged.

“Also different people have entered the ruins of the city to raid it. We have a few soldiers stationed in the southern section of the city and they have sighted a group of shamag lurking around, making their way up north”, he said.

“What are they there for? There can hardly be any food or clean water, right? I thought they have their own shelters in the desert, they wouldn’t need shelter in those ruins. The risks are far too great”, Minseok said. The Commander nodded.

“That is true. They are looking for valuables as far as we know. Also material for their own houses. They might also look for people to recruit”, a soldier answered.

They continued to discuss their strategy and Jongdae and Minseok were handed equipment and new uniforms. They would go to the abandoned city just the next day, so everyone went to bed early. Jongdae just came back from the showers when he saw two people sitting outside the tents. It was comfortably cool outside compared to the tents.

“Jongdae, you alright?” the soldier asked. Jongdae nodded and looked at Mrs Byun. He could not bite down the question.

“Sorry to bother but Mrs Byun, you are from the city, right?” he asked. She frowned.

“I mean the – the same city I am from, not the ruins we are heading to tomorrow”, he added quickly and felt awkward.

“Yes, everyone here is”, she said slowly.

“Do you happen to have a son?” he asked. Her face was answer enough.

“Sorry, this is private. I shouldn’t have asked”, Jongdae said nervously. The soldier however grinned.

“No, she always talks about him. He takes after her apparently”, he said with a laughter.“Do you know him?” he added.

Jongdae tilted his head. “Baekhyun?”

She nodded and got up with a strange expression.

“How is he? What is he doing?” she asked quietly. She grabbed Jongdae’s hands. “Do you have a recent picture?” she asked. Jongdae stepped back.

“Uh – I – he is well, I think. He studied Geography like you and he is obsessed with the desert. I think, because he wanted to go on a mission like that to see you again”, Jongdae murmured.

She looked away. The other soldier raised his eyebrows.

“He is not the type to – be sent on such missions”, Jongdae added carefully.

“Oh-oh”, the soldier murmured.

“He is a bit of a troublemaker”, Jongdae confessed. She nodded.

“He always was. No surprise really. His father was too carefree as well”, she murmured.

“Combine that with your recklessness and sense for adventure and boom you got your troublemaker child”, the soldier laughed. She sat back down.

“I’m only allowed to contact him for his birthdays and sometimes when we are so far away it is not possible to contact him. So I haven’t spoken to him since 2 years”, she said with a sigh.

“I don’t think he is angry with you”, Jongdae said and shrugged. “He’s okay with it. He still lives with his aunt”. She nodded.

“You are then the type to be sent on such a mission?” the solider asked.

“Why are you asking?” Jongdae asked with a frown.

“Well, you seem like you miss your home”, the solider said. Jongdae’s frown deepened but then he noticed the soldier’s eyes on Jongdae’s necklace.

“Nice memento”, the soldier said.

“It’s just – it reminds me who I am, where I am from...”, Jongdae murmured. Mrs Byun frowned and the soldier raised his eyebrows.

“Really? And it what way does a picture of your favourite city full of liars and ignorant people tell you who you are”, the soldier asked with a dangerous undertone. Jongdae’s hands clenched into fists.

“I’m not –“, he started but he was interrupted when Minseok appeared in the opening of the tent.

“Jongdae, could you come for a second?” he asked. Jongdae glared at the soldier but went with Minseok.

“What is it?” Jongdae asked roughly. Minseok was quiet until they had reached their room.

“He was only provoking you”, Minseok said. Jongdae stared at him. “Huh?”

Minseok looked back at him, his eyes were darker than usual, maybe it was the light. But the pupils were larger and the suddenly Minseok shook his head slightly as if to rid himself of a thought.

“We have to get up early tomorrow, you should sleep”, he said then. Jongdae huffed.

“Right”, he murmured grumpily.

 

He climbed into his bed and Minseok switched off the lights. But Jongdae couldn’t sleep and from the sound of it, Minseok did not sleep either. Jongdae turned around and tried to make out Minseok’s shape in the darkness. He watched his outline for a while when suddenly the yellow eyes glowed up.

“What?” Minseok asked. Jongdae almost fell out of his small bed.

“I can’t sleep”, Jongdae murmured.

“Are you nervous because of tomorrow?” Minseok asked, he sounded as if he had been thinking about Jongdae’s behaviour.

“No”, Jongdae said.

“What is it then?” Minseok asked.

“A lot on my mind… too many things”, Jongdae murmured.

“What things?” Minseok asked quietly. “What the guy said earlier?” Jongdae shifted in his bed and half shrugged.

“Yeah, no. Maybe…”, he said and then turned his head. “You”, he added then.

“Me?” Minseok asked.

Jongdae’s thoughts were spinning, he really had been thinking too much of Minseok. Things he had not thought before. Always the same. When Minseok had screamed after Jongdae had been shot. When he had been there when Jongdae had woken up… but mostly… The way his skin had felt under his fingertips, his hitched breath, his arms around him. The thought that Minseok had wanted to sleep with him. That alone drove him crazy. They had slept with each other two times and after that, there had been no other chance and Minseok had not initiated it again. It had always been Minseok who had initiated it because Jongdae would have never dared. He had wanted it of course but he felt like that would ask too much of Minseok. He had started sweating as he started the thought cycle again. Why would his treacherous thoughts always go back to that? This was hardly the time and place to think of it. But they said nothing anymore and eventually Jongdae drifted into an uneasy sleep full of Minseok.

 

Jongdae had never seen anything like the city they were about to enter. It was entirely in ruins, huge piles of collapsed buildings, overgrown parks and houses. It was also way cooler here than at their base in the desert. With an earpiece they were all connected to each other as they entered the derelict city. Usually they went in teams but this time they all went by themselves because the section they would check should be rather safe. Jongdae’s hands were holding tightly onto his gun, the mask over his face which was supposed to protect him from potential poisonous gases, made it harder to breathe however. And he felt hot within a few minutes of climbing over the ruins. The radiation gauge confirmed that there was indeed no radiation and the air pollution sensor on his mask told him that the pollution was rather low. He had just slid down a large stone and jumped onto a large plaza surrounded by collapsed buildings and looked around when a graffiti on a half destroyed wall caught his eye. On the ground underneath the graffiti were dark spots, they looked like splashes of dried blood. He crossed the plaza focused on the graffiti. It was a black cat with glowing yellow eyes. It had been the eyes that had caught his attention, they reminded him eerily of Minseok and Jongin’s eyes… He raised the small recording device and snapped a picture of it when there was a cracking sound.

But before he could turn around, he had received a heavy blow to the head. Everything went dark immediately. When he came to he was held by strong arms and four men were standing around them. They wore ragged clothes but on their exposed arms Jongdae saw white thin lined tattoos. Shamag.

“Don’t bother, don’t you see his eyes?” one of them called.

Jongdae blinked rapidly and saw across them: Minseok. He was standing on a large stone that seemed to be of a collapsed shop. His face was unreadable.

“He won’t save this guy. He’s one of those mutated bastards, they don’t care about others. The Black Cat probably hasn’t spotted him yet, leave him be. She will take care of him. Looks like he’s just an army pet which escaped them and they were trying to catch it. Kill off the army guy and then let’s look for the rest of them. They surely have good equipment with them”, one of them called roughly.

Jongdae’s breath hitched when he felt a knife on his throat. His eyes were on Minseok who stood a few metres away, calmly.

The Black Cat? Was this about the graffiti on the wall he had spotted? It sounded like a person who looked for Aureum Luscus and killed them. But Minseok was one of the strongest and toughest, he wouldn’t be easily killed… He would get away. Jongdae on the other hand… Jongdae breathed out and closed his eyes. He heard quick steps and several gun shots, then he was thrown backwards. He hit the pile of ruins behind him and coughed up blood as his back hit the cold hard stone. His eyes flew open but he could not breathe and his body was aching terribly. Two shamag were lying in a pool of blood on the ground. Another one was knocked out, the fourth one was fleeing. Jongdae saw him crawling over the ruins. And the guy who had holding the knife to Jongdae’s throat was a few metres next to him. Minseok sat on top of him as he smashed his head into the broken wall of a derelict building.

“Minseok”, Jongdae coughed.

Minseok was breathing very hard as he got up, the blood dripping from his hands. Jongdae had seen many violent deaths but he could not look at the dead guy. This had not been a simple kill, Minseok looked like he was in a rage, he had not stopped once the guy had been dead. Jongdae tried to get back on his feet. For a moment he wasn’t sure whether Minseok would kill him too when he would turn around. Minseok’s eyes were glowing darkly as he turned to Jongdae. His quick breath sounded like an animalistic growl, then Minseok walked over to Jongdae. And the dark look slowly dissolved.

“You’re hurt, let’s go back”, he said.

His voice was still trembling with anger. Jongdae could hardly get up on his own but Minseok simply made him climb onto his back and carried him to a different plaza where the other soldiers had gathered. There was a building which must have been once very beautiful. Dirty glass lay shattered on the ground and in between sparkling drops – diamonds, gold, silver. It seemed like it had once been a jewellery shop.

“I think they were after that”, one of the soldiers said. Another two shamag were lying in the shattered glass, they were knocked out.

“Jongdae! What happened?” one of the soldiers called as he saw Minseok carrying Jongdae over to them.

They took care of Jongdae, he only needed a bit of rest and would be fine. But he was not allowed to roam the city for that day and so they had him seated at a higher building with Minseok as guard. Jongdae wasn’t sure whether he should tell them about the graffiti that had distracted him and had caused him to be attacked. So he decided to stay silent for now.

Jongdae was watching the city from above through binoculars and send the new information down to the soldiers. Jongdae lowered the binoculars and pulled out the small hologram device to mark several spots on the holographic map. He noticed that Minseok was watching him instead of the surroundings.

“You thought I would let you die”, Minseok said.

Jongdae could not lie. He didn’t know what Minseok was thinking of him by now, what he considered Jongdae to be for him.

“I hoped you wouldn’t”, Jongdae said instead. He continued to work on the map but was distracted by the sparkling thing in Minseok’s hands.

“What’s that?” he asked. Minseok held the diamond up into the air.

“They said they would send the valuable things back to the city basically we’re doing the same as the shamag. We’re raiding the city”, Minseok said.

Jongdae let out a heavy breath. “They use those valuables to buy weapons and attack villages where people actually live. They kill all of them to enrichen themselves. We’re collecting the valuables and send them to the city where they are used to finance the education of children and young adults and to finance the health system”, Jongdae said.

Minseok laughed. Jongdae looked at him surprised.

“You have a good answer for anything, huh”, Minseok murmured.

Jongdae pressed his lips into a thin line and turned back to the map. It was getting dark by now. The cloudy sky was tinted orange and red as the sun set. With the dark clouds the sky looked dirty, tainted. As if it was mirroring the ground below, dirt mixed with blood.

“If it didn’t matter I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me”, Minseok said then. Jongdae frowned and looked up.

“What matters?” he asked confused.

Minseok looked at him. Jongdae switched off the hologram device. It was paradoxical, ridiculous that in the midst of a strange and dangerous city while on a mission, he would ever feel this safe. But with Minseok he could have been anywhere and felt like this. He shivered when he felt Minseok’s cool fingers in his neck, then he felt how Minseok took off his necklace. He leaned back as Minseok pulled the leather band over Jongdae’s head. The metal picture of the city was dented despite being quite thick and strong.

“The city really means a lot to you”, Minseok said. Jongdae shrugged.

“I want to protect it”, Jongdae said.

“For what? To return one day?” Minseok asked. Jongdae shook his head.

“I don’t think I could return even if I wanted to. I made this decision to come with you and I guess I will do this right here until I am old and can’t walk anymore or more likely – I die”, Jongdae said. Minseok made a strange movement.

“Do you have other plans?” Jongdae asked. Minseok shook his head.

“So we’re –“, Jongdae started but didn’t know how to go on.

He knew that Minseok was stronger than him, immune to any poison or illness, he would live longer than Jongdae.

“You’re not immortal either, do you really want to die like this?” Jongdae asked.

“Who said I’d die on a mission?” Minseok asked. Jongdae couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m not saying you are not strong enough – I don’t know what about that Black Cat person who kills people like you? I mean, you would survive anything – alone”, Jongdae said and then got serious.

They were grazing the topic they had not spoken about. Why Minseok had followed Jongdae at Junmyeon’s house instead of letting him die.

“But if you put yourself on the line for me like that -”, Jongdae said.

“You wanted me to let you die?” Minseok asked.

“No, I just – I don’t know how to feel about this. You shouldn’t feel like you have to do that for me”, Jongdae murmured.

When Minseok said nothing he turned his head and to his surprise Minseok had not that usual blank or calm face. He looked like he was struggling.

“You wanted me to do that for you, don’t you?” Minseok asked tensely.

“No, I – I, yeah. But not like that, don’t force yourself to – don’t make me say it”, Jongdae whispered. Minseok had a strange look on his face.

“Why do you say that? You already understand”, Minseok said.

“What?” Jongdae whispered confused.

“You said I would survive anything alone but not with you”, Minseok said. Jongdae looked at him.

“I don’t want you to feel like you owe me something”, Jongdae said.

“I don’t”, Minseok said.

“Why – why did you save me then?” Jongdae asked.

“Because I wanted to”, Minseok said. Jongdae opened his mouth and then just breathed out and laughed.

“Having a weakness is something an enemy can use against you, that’s why it’s better to have no one who could become your weakness. That’s the reason they made us like that, we all know. They wanted us to feel nothing”, Minseok said. Jongdae’s chest felt tight.

“Are you saying I’m becoming your weakness?” he hardly dared to say it out loud. Minseok looked at him.

“You already are”. Jongdae’s eyes widened slightly.

“But I –“, Jongdae stuttered overwhelmed. Was that the reason Minseok had followed him in Junmyeon’s house? Was that why he had not left him behind after all?

“I don’t think any treatment could have ever healed me, I’m just like that”, Minseok said. “Nonetheless, I’m always with you and you’re always with me”.

They looked at each other. “Is that enough?”

Jongdae nodded, he couldn’t stop nodding. He reached for Minseok’s hands and put his own around them. Jongdae looked up when he noticed how Minseok leaned down. He was caught in surprise when Minseok kissed him. Jongdae let go off Minseok’s hands and his fingers slid into Minseok’s hair, trembling. Minseok shifted a little but not to shake Jongdae off, he cupped Jongdae’s face and pulled him even deeper into their kiss.


End file.
